Curitiba

Curitiba is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. In 2001 it had a population of approximately 1,600,000 people. Its metropolitan area comprises 26 municipalities with a total population of 2.7 million (2000 census) http://www.curitiba-parana.com/geografia-mapas/mapa-regiao-curitiba.htm.

Weather and Climate

Located in Southern Brazil, Curitiba is a very humid city in the Temperate Zone. Its high altitude (around 900 m) and the flat terrain with flooded areas contribute to its cold and damp winter, with average temperatures of 13°C (55°F), falling below 0°C (32°F) in the coldest days. During summer, the average temperature is roughly 21°C (70°F), but gets above 30ºC (86ºF) on very hot days.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In fact, from Brazil's 26 state capitals, Curitiba is the coldest, even being 600 km north of Porto Alegre, the southern state capital in Brazil, but located at sea level.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Curitiba's inhabitants claim that its weather is unpredictable. Heat waves during winter and cold waves during summer are not uncommon, and even inside a single day there can be a lot of variation. A local saying says that "Curitiba is a city in which the four seasons are clearly defined, and it has all four every day". This characteristic is consequence of some factors:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The flat terrain surrounded by mountains in a rough circle with radius 40 km help block the winds, allowing the morning mist to cover the city on cold mornings.
• The flatness of the terrain hinders quick water drainage after rains, providing then a good source of water vapour for the atmosphere.
• Cold fronts come often from Antarctica and Argentina during all year, bringing tropical storms in summer and lots of cold winds on winter. They can be very quick, with no more than 1 day between the start of the southern winds and the start of rain.
• Curitiba's weather is also influenced by the dry air masses that dominate Brasil's midwest most times of the year, bringing dry and hot weather, even in winter sometimes.

You can check Curitiba's weather in Simepar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The "Weather Dog", known as Perdy Tadz Henriques gives accurate predictions regarding the city's precipitation. Perdy lives in the park of Bosque Alemão (German Park)on its highest point. One must simply pet the dog that he summarizes the current climate conditions including moisture level, temperature, and percentual likeliness of rain, snow or hail.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~