In Bolivia, there are 6 different climates and each of them has its own pattern and amount of rainfall during the year. In the West, Center, and South of the country, there’s not much rainfall the whole year, and it almost doesn’t happen in the middle of it. Contrary to this, in the North and East of the country, the rainfall is always very pronounced and it goes even higher from December to February.
In Bolivia, the average rainfall is 491mm in La Paz, El Alto, Oruro, and Potosí cities; 558mm in Cochabamba, Sucre, and Tarija cities; 1,698mm in Santa Cruz and Trinidad cities; and 1,895 in Cobija city. In the middle of the year, 27-365mm of rainfall happens, and at the end of the year, 400-1,540mm occurs.
In this complete guide about the rainfall in Bolivia, you’ll know every detail about it, when and where it occurs the most and the least across the country, how it behaves in the different climatic regions of Bolivia, the average rainfall in our country and its main cities, among other details.
The average rainfall in Bolivia, a general overview
In Bolivia, you’ll find that there are 2 main different seasons regarding how much rainfall you will experience throughout the year:
- The wet season (between September and March, in the whole country).
- The dry season (between April and August, in the whole country).
The difference between the average rainfall in these 2 seasons of the year can have a ratio between 1/5 to 1/10, this means that in the wet season, it can rain from 5 to 10 times more than in the dry season, as you can see in the table below. Cities that are in tropical areas will experience a lower reduction of rainfall in the dry season than cities that are in Altiplanic areas of the country.
| City | September to March, wet (mm) | April to August, dry (mm) | Annual Avg. rainfall (mm) |
| La Paz | 450 | 65 | 515 |
| El Alto | 550 | 75 | 625 |
| Cochabamba | 420 | 20 | 440 |
| Santa Cruz | 1090 | 395 | 1485 |
| Sucre | 600 | 40 | 640 |
| Tarija | 575 | 20 | 595 |
| Oruro | 360 | 40 | 400 |
| Potosí | 400 | 25 | 425 |
| Trinidad | 1575 | 335 | 1910 |
| Cobija | 1540 | 355 | 1895 |
Source: https://senamhi.gob.bo/index.php/clima
The 6 climates of Bolivia and their rainfalls
Bolivia has 6 different climates, each one with its own average rainfall during the year. This is because the country has 2 key features that trigger this. First, Bolivia is divided by the Los Andes Mountains chain, which provokes very opposite climates and rainfalls in both the East and the West of the country. Also, this mountain chain has its own climate in the valleys located in its foothills, which is well-tempered and balanced.
The 2nd key feature is that Bolivia is not located right at the center of South America, nor at the very South, which results in the country having its north immersed in a very hot rainy Amazonian climate, while its south is a still very warm region, called the Gran Chaco, but where sometimes it rarely rains, as the Gran Chaco is closer to the South Pole.
In each one of its 6 climates Bolivia has different rainfall patterns. It happens that:
- In the Altiplanic West (where La Paz, El Alto, Oruro, and Potosí cities are located), the rain is moderate, being a dry place at the middle of the year and a humid place at the end of the year.
- In the rugged Center (where Cochabamba, Sucre, and Tarija are located) the rain is mild, being a relatively dry place at the middle of the year and a humid place at the end of the year.
- In the tropical East (where Santa Cruz and Trinidad are located) the rainfall is quite a lot there, but it becomes moderate in the middle of the year, with still rainy days.
- In the Amazonian North (where Cobija is located) the average rainfall is very high there the whole year, but it gets a little bit lower in the middle of the year.
- The Chiquitania region (where no important cities are located), is the transition between the arid hot Chaco and the tropical very humid Amazonas. It has less rain than in the Amazonian regions, but still gets a lot.
- In the dried Chaco South (where no important cities are located) there is not too much rain the whole year, but in the middle of the year, it becomes quite an arid land with very little rainfall.
| Climatic region | September to March (mm) | April to August (mm) | Annual rainfall (mm) |
| Altiplanic cold West | 440 | 51 | 491 |
| Rugged tempered Center | 532 | 27 | 558 |
| Tropical hot East | 1,333 | 365 | 1,698 |
| Amazonian North | 1,540 | 355 | 1,895 |
| Chiquitania region | 870 | 185 | 1,055 |
| Arid Southeast (Chaco) | 705 | 115 | 820 |
Source: https://senamhi.gob.bo/index.php/clima
Bolivia has a lot more rainfall between September and March and much less between April and August. In general in almost all regions, from December to February, you’ll experience the most rainy days of the whole year.
Average rainfall in Bolivia by city
Now let’s see how much it rains in the most important cities of the country during each month of the year. In general, cities that are in the west of the country will have much less rainfall than cities that are in the east, and this is caused by the climate division that the Los Andes Mountains chain imposes on the country, among other factors.
| City | January (mm) | February (mm) | March (mm) | April (mm) | May (mm) | June (mm) | July (mm) | August (mm) | September (mm) | October (mm) | November (mm) | December (mm) |
| La Paz | 110 | 85 | 65 | 25 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 30 | 35 | 45 | 80 |
| El Alto | 140 | 105 | 80 | 35 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 25 | 45 | 55 | 100 |
| Cochabamba | 100 | 110 | 65 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 40 | 75 |
| Santa Cruz | 200 | 175 | 145 | 120 | 110 | 65 | 60 | 40 | 80 | 120 | 165 | 205 |
| Sucre | 135 | 120 | 90 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 35 | 50 | 70 | 100 |
| Tarija | 140 | 105 | 85 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 40 | 70 | 125 |
| Oruro | 100 | 85 | 55 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 50 |
| Potosí | 105 | 90 | 60 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 35 | 70 |
| Trinidad | 310 | 270 | 240 | 120 | 90 | 40 | 40 | 45 | 110 | 150 | 205 | 290 |
| Cobija | 290 | 295 | 240 | 170 | 85 | 30 | 20 | 50 | 100 | 160 | 195 | 260 |
Source: https://senamhi.gob.bo/index.php/clima
La Paz
La Paz receives a lot of rainfall at the end of the year. Heavy and dangerous rainy and hail storms commonly occur from December to February every year, maybe from 1 to 5 of these events in these months.
From April to August, you won’t see almost any rainy days and all the time the sun will be very shiny in the sky without any clouds. But from September to March, particularly from December to February, many of these days will be very cloudy, and sometimes heavy rain and hail storms will happen.
Some years ago, very heavy hail storms in January and February brought even tragedies to the city, killing tens of people, as you can read in another note we have on the topic (Does it snow in La Paz? all the details). As you may know, La Paz is quite cold, so instead of rainfall, you get in many cases just hail during this wet season.
La Paz gets an annual rainfall of 515mm. It gets an average of 450mm from September to March and 65mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
El Alto
El Alto is very close to La Paz city, only 15 minutes away by car. So in general, both cities experience the same amount of rainfall during the year, but El Alto has a little bit more rainfall than La Paz.
What happens in El Alto is that at the end of the year, particularly from December to February, there will be a lot of rain, but in many cases, this rainfall will be just hail or snow. However, in the middle of the year, in June, July, and August, almost no rainfall will be present, but in some cases, 1 to 5 very light snow storms will occur. In general, in the middle of the year, the sun will be shining every day with no clouds in the sky.
El Alto gets an annual rainfall of 625mm. It gets an average of 550mm from September to March and 75mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Cochabamba
This main city of Bolivia receives a moderate amount of rainfall at the end of the year, not being really dangerous for its citizens, but it sometimes can trigger floods in some poor neighborhoods in the South of the city. On the other hand, in the dry season between April and August, you won’t experience almost any rain at all, most of the days will be sunny without any clouds in the sky.
There you won’t experience overwhelming rainfall, this city has one of the best climates in Bolivia to live in, and this fact includes the absence of heavy rain or hail storms, or dangerous floods that can put the life of people at risk.
Cochabamba gets an annual rainfall of 440mm. It gets an average of 420mm from September to March and 20mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz also experiences a lot of rainy days and even tropical storms at the end of the year, particularly from December to February. In many cases, the sky will be very cloudy and when these rainfalls occur some parts of the city will become flooded, mostly the poor neighborhoods that are on the outskirts.
Tropical storms in Santa Cruz can be quite dangerous also and impose risks to people on the streets and they can happen from about 2 to 5 times per year. A lot of rain falls in these climatic events as if you were in an Amazonian rainforest, with also wild winds that can reach even 80 miles per hour.
In contrast, between April and August, the city won’t experience too much rain, and almost no floods will occur, but there will still be some rainy days. In a climate event called “Surazo“, the rain can become hail in rare cases, it may happen from time to time in the city in these driest months of the year.
Santa Cruz gets an annual rainfall of 1,485mm. It gets an average of 1,090mm from September to March and 395mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Oruro
While Oruro doesn’t receive a huge amount of rain at the end of the year, particularly from December to February, in some cases heavy rain storms can happen, to the point that in the past they’ve provoked housing-destroying floods in the outskirts of the city, where many poor communities are settled.
These floods are not because of the huge rain, but because of the poor sewage system of these parts of the city. On the other hand, in the dry season, which happens from April to August, almost no rain will be present and, as in other parts of the west of the country, almost only very sunny but cold and dry days will be predominant.
It’s worth mentioning that, while Oruro’s carnival is happening, which takes place at the end of February or at the beginning of March, you’ll experience a mix of cloudy days with significant rain and also warm enough sunny days with few clouds in the sky.
Oruro gets an annual rainfall of 400mm. It gets an average of 360mm from September to March and 40mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Potosí
Potosí will also experience a lot more rain between December and February than in the middle of the year. In these months there will be quite enough rain to create some little floods across some neighborhoods in the city, but none of them will be especially dangerous for natives or tourists.
In addition to this, when the dry season occurs, particularly from May to July, almost no rainfall will happen in this city and more than 95% of the days will be very sunny with no clouds in the sky. Nevertheless, in these months some snow storms will occur, maybe 2-5, they’ll be very light and even enjoyable.
Also, it’s remarkable that in the Uyuni’s Salt, there will be also no rain in the middle of the year and it will be one of the driest coldest places to be in Bolivia. But, right inside the salt terrain, some floods will happen between December and March, so take this into account when you are visiting this place.
Potosí gets an annual rainfall of 425mm. It gets an average of 400mm from September to March and 25mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Sucre
Sucre experiences a lot of rainfall at the end of the year, more certainly from December to February. In some cases, heavy hail storms can happen and these can even threaten people’s lives, as it occurred in 2021 when a hail event killed 4 people in that city.
So, whenever you stay in this city between December and March, be careful with possible rain or hail storms that can occur suddenly and catch you off guard. When these events happen, rapidly find a solid highly elevated place to guard yourself.
On the other hand, when the dry season is, between April and August, this city, like most parts of the country, won’t experience too much rain and most of the days will be very sunny with very few clouds in the sky.
Sucre gets an annual rainfall of 640mm. It gets an average of 600mm from September to March and 40mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Tarija
In this tempered city, there will also be an important amount of rainfall at the end of the year, from December to February, but almost always these rain or hail storms won’t be a threat for people’s lives and will only cause minor floods in some neighborhoods of the city, but also in its downtown area.
On the other hand, during the dry season from April to August, like in the rest of the country, almost no rain will occur in the city and the vast majority of the days will be very sunny, tempered, dry, and with very few clouds in the sky.
Tarija gets an annual rainfall of 595mm. It gets an average of 575mm from September to March and 20mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Trinidad
Trinidad is very close to important rivers, and at the end of the year in the wet season, they can sometimes become overflowed, causing floods in several neighborhoods of this small city. Additionally, Trinidad is located very close to the Amazonas, so it gets a lot of rain the whole year. Important rainstorms occur between December and February, and sometimes they can last for days.
During the dry season, between April and August, Trinidad will still experience a quite high amount of rainfall, but not enough to trigger floods or overflowed rivers. In this season, there will be a mix of mostly sunny days with almost no clouds, but also many cloudy days and some rain along the day.
Trinidad gets an annual rainfall of 1,910mm. It gets an average of 1,575mm from September to March and 335mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Cobija
Cobija is a city that is inside the Amazonas region, so it really experiences a lot of rain the whole year (like in Amazonian rainforests), and much more from December to February. Also, it doesn’t stop too much in the middle of the year and, the same as Trinidad or even more, a significant amount of rain is still received between May and July.
This significant volume of rainfall in the wet season can trigger floods in several neighborhoods of the city, as it’s small and rural in many areas. These parts of the city don’t have proper sewage systems to stop floods. However in the dry season, as we just said, the rain will be less, but not too much, and there will be some important rainy days during this time, but also many sunny days.
Cobija gets an annual rainfall of 1,895mm. It gets an average of 1,540mm from September to March and 355mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Average rainfall in Bolivia by region and climate
Now let’s see the average rain per month for the 6 different climates that Bolivia normally experiences.
| Climatic region | January (mm) | February (mm) | March (mm) | April (mm) | May (mm) | June (mm) | July (mm) | August (mm) | September (mm) | October (mm) | November (mm) | December (mm) |
| Altiplanic cold West | 114 | 91 | 65 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 33 | 41 | 75 |
| Rugged tempered Center | 125 | 112 | 80 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 37 | 60 | 100 |
| Tropical hot East | 255 | 223 | 193 | 120 | 100 | 53 | 50 | 43 | 95 | 135 | 185 | 248 |
| Amazonian North | 290 | 295 | 240 | 170 | 85 | 30 | 20 | 50 | 100 | 160 | 195 | 260 |
| Chiquitania region | 180 | 145 | 130 | 60 | 60 | 25 | 10 | 30 | 45 | 100 | 130 | 140 |
| Arid Southeast (Chaco) | 155 | 160 | 120 | 75 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 40 | 80 | 140 |
Source: https://senamhi.gob.bo/index.php/clima
As you can see, the rain is heavy in the east of the country at the end of the year, more accurately in the tropical East, amazonian North, and Chiquitania region. These 3 parts of the country also don’t experience a very significant decline in rain during the dry season. In these 3 regions, the ratio of rain between the dry and the wet season is 1/5.
The situation is very different in the east, center, and south of Bolivia, where the cold Altiplano, the Los Andes Mountains chain, and the Chaco are present. In the wet season, these regions get just enough rainfall to not call them arid, but sometimes, very heavy and even risky rain and hail storms will happen. On the other hand, in the dry season, almost no rainfall occurs.
The Altiplanic cold West
The main Bolivian cities and tourist places located in this region are:
- La Paz
- El Alto
- Oruro
- Potosí
- Uyuni’s Salt
- Titicaca lake
- Red Lagoon
The Altiplanic West of Bolivia gets an annual rainfall of about 491mm. It gets an average of 440mm from September to March and 51mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
The rugged temperate Center
The main Bolivian cities and tourist places located in this region are:
- Cochabamba
- Sucre
- Tarija
- Samaipata
- Sorata
- Coroico
- Chulumani
There are some risks for your health because of bugs like the Vinchuca that causes the “Chagas disease”, among other endemic diseases, know more about this in our detailed guide about the climate of Bolivia.
The rugged Center of Bolivia gets an annual rainfall of about 558mm. It gets an average of 532mm from September to March and 27mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
The tropical hot East
The main Bolivian cities and tourist places located in this region are:
- Santa Cruz De La Sierra
- Trinidad
- Chiquitania
Chagas disease, Dengue, Malaria, Zika among other dangerous illnesses are present in this region, you can know more in this guide.
The tropical East of Bolivia gets an annual rainfall of about 1,698mm. It gets an average of 1,333mm from September to March and 365mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
The Amazonian North
The main Bolivian cities and tourist places located in this region are:
- Cobija
- Rurrenabaque
- Madidi National Park
- Part of the Amazonas
The Chagas disease, Dengue, Malaria, and Zika among other dangerous illnesses are present in this region, know more in this guide.
The Amazonian North of Bolivia gets an annual rainfall of about 1,895mm. It gets an average of 1,540mm from September to March and 355mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
The Chiquitania region
The tourist places located in this region are (no important cities are located here):
- San José de Chiquitos town
The Chagas disease, dengue, malaria, Zika among other dangerous illnesses are present in this region, now more in this guide.
The Chiquitania region of Bolivia gets an annual rainfall of about 1,055mm. It gets an average of 870mm from September to March and 185mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
The arid Southeast (Chaco)
The tourist places located in this region are (no important cities are located here):
- The Gran Chaco region
The Chagas disease, Dengue, and Malaria among other dangerous illnesses are present in this region, now more in this guide.
The dried very hot Chaco region of Bolivia gets an annual rainfall of about 820mm. It gets an average of 705mm from September to March and 115mm from April to August, being from December to February the most rainy months of the year.
Seasons in Bolivia and their average rainfall
Bolivia, the same as the whole South hemisphere, experiences the opposite stationary seasons than the US, Canada, Europe, and other countries in the North.
This means that in Bolivia:
- Spring and summer happen at the end of the year, between October and March. Summer occurs between January and March.
- Fall and winter happen in the middle of the year, between April and September. Winter occurs between July and September.
This results in Bolivia having in Spring and Summer (wet seasons) a lot more rainfall than in Fall and Winter (dry seasons). The proportion of rainfall between both dry and wet seasons will go from 1/5 in the east of the country to 1/10 in the west.
You can see this phenomenon in more detail for the principal cities of the country in the following table.
| City | Spring (September 21st – December 20th) (mm) | Summer (December 21st – March 20th) (mm) | Autunm (March 21st – June 20th) (mm) | Winter (June 21st – September 20th) (mm) |
| La Paz | 160 | 260 | 45 | 50 |
| El Alto | 200 | 325 | 55 | 45 |
| Cochabamba | 135 | 275 | 15 | 15 |
| Santa Cruz | 490 | 520 | 295 | 180 |
| Sucre | 220 | 345 | 30 | 45 |
| Tarija | 235 | 330 | 15 | 15 |
| Oruro | 100 | 240 | 25 | 35 |
| Potosí | 135 | 255 | 20 | 15 |
| Trinidad | 645 | 820 | 250 | 195 |
| Cobija | 615 | 825 | 285 | 170 |
Source: https://senamhi.gob.bo/index.php/clima
Spring
In Bolivia, Spring occurs from 21st September to 20th December and it’s a wet season. In Spring, rainfall volume starts to rise to its maximum levels of the year. This happens across the whole country, meaning in the arid regions of the West, like the Center and the South it starts to rain again and in a quite significant amount.
Additionally, in the East and the North of the country, where the Chiquitania region and the Amazonas lands are located, it rains even more and in some cases, tropical storms start to be common during these months.
Summer
Summer goes from 21st December to 20th March and it’s a wet season. At this time, particularly in January, the whole country will experience the most rainy days of the year. Very heavy and even risky rain and hail storms will be very common at this time in the arid regions of Bolivia, like the Altiplano and the rugged Center (where the foothill valleys of the Los Andes Mountains are located).
Moreover, in the East and North of the country, it will rain a lot more, and tropical storms will be common, there will be some days in which it won’t stop raining for days in cities like Santa Cruz, Trinidad, and Cobija.
Fall
In Bolivia, autumn happens from 21st March to 20th June and it’s a dry season. In fall, the rainfall starts to diminish a lot, to the point that in the arid Altiplanic regions of the country, it’ll stop raining. Also, in the tropical regions, the rain will be much less, so in no case, it’ll provoke floods or tropical storms that could last for days.
Occasionally in the west of the country, some little hail or snow will happen and in the tropical east there will be several days with rain, but in both regions, the vast majority of days will be very sunny, colder, and dry.
Winter
In Bolivia, winter happens from 21st June to 20th August and it’s a dry season. This is the time in which the country will experience the least amount of rainfall of the whole year. In Altiplanic cold regions, in the center of the country and the Gran Chaco, almost no rain will be present, making these areas quite arid, but not to the point to call them deserts.
Also, in the tropical East, the Amazonian North, and the Chiquitania region, the amount of rainfall will go even lower than in fall, reaching its lowest amount of the year. During winter, more than 95% of the days across the country will be very sunny and without any clouds in the sky.
Conclusions:
In this guide about the rainfall in Bolivia, you’ve seen that it rains much more at the end of the year, particularly from December to February in the whole country, with an average rainfall of 400-1,540mm. Moreover, in the middle of the year, from May to July, it rains a lot less, and in some regions it doesn’t rain at all, getting an average rainfall of 27-365mm.
You also saw that there are 6 distinct climates in the country, each of them with its rainfall pattern. The Altiplano, the foothill valleys of the Los Andes Mountains chain (Center of the country), and the Chaco region don’t receive too much rain the whole year, but they are quite arid with almost no rain in the middle of the year.
On the other hand, the tropical East, the Amazonian North, and the Chiquitania region receive a lot of rain, huge amounts of it at the end of the year and still enough rain in the middle of it. You’ve also learned that La Paz, El Alto, Oruro, Potosí, Cochabamba, Sucre, and Tarija receive just enough rain to not be called arid cities. However, in Santa Cruz, Trinidad, and Cobija it rains a lot, as these cities are tropical or Amazonian.
Finally, you’ve seen that there are 2 dry seasonal periods in the country, fall, and winter, which happen between June and September, and there are 2 wet seasons, spring and summer, which happen between October and March. Also, the ratio of rainfall between dry and wet seasons in the country is 1/5 for tropical and humid regions and 1/10 for arid or Altiplanic regions.
We hope this information has helped you, and if you want to know everything about the climate in Bolivia, including the average rainfall for other locations and even more details, visit our definitive guide in the following direction: How is the climate in Bolivia? A full overview.
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