Bolivia
8 cities
Climate overview
Spanning about 9°40′ to 22°53′ south latitude, landlocked Bolivia sits in central South America with an extreme altitudinal range from the Andean Altiplano and high peaks, including Sajama at 6,542 meters and Illimani at 6,438 meters, descending through the central Yungas slopes to the Amazon lowlands in the northeast and the Gran Chaco plains in the southeast. This dramatic elevation gradient produces a wide Köppen climate spectrum, from polar tundra and alpine conditions on the high cordilleras to humid tropical climates in Pando and Beni departments and hot semi-arid steppe across the southern Chaco.
La Paz at 3,640 meters sees daytime highs near 19°C and nighttime lows around 6°C year-round; the Altiplano experiences heavy diurnal swings and frost, most of all from May through September. Santa Cruz in the lowlands enjoys tropical warmth, with highs around 30°C and nights around 20°C, while Trinidad in Beni receives over 1,800 millimeters annually. Lake Titicaca moderates the surrounding microclimate.
Surazo cold fronts (southerly winds) can bring several days of sharply cooler weather even in the lowlands; the rainy season runs December through March. ENSO cycles strongly influence Bolivia: El Niño brings Altiplano drought, while the Beni lowlands are prone to severe flooding. Andean glaciers have retreated rapidly; Chacaltaya disappeared entirely by 2009.
Our archive covers 8 Bolivian cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, with average highs around 24.7°C, while Potosí has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 4.6°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 2.1°C.
How the climate has shifted in Bolivia
Average across 8 cities with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 13.2°C→15.2°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 12 days→28 days+16
- Frost days per year
- 43 days→22 days−21
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 26 nights→31 nights+5
Warmest year in the record so far: 2024.
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.
Warmer than usual
Cooler than usual