The climate of Buenos Aires is pleasant throughout the year, with an annual temperature average of 18 ºC, allowing people to enjoy the city at any time of the year.
In the summer, the weather is hot and humid. The mornings are warm and the temperature rises towards the midday and early afternoon. The peaks of temperature could exceed 35 ºC. At night, the temperature drops slightly.
During the autumn and spring the rainy season (from March to June and September to December). There are generally scattered showers or quick rains.
On the sunny days of autumn and spring, the mornings are cool; the temperature rises pleasantly towards noon and descends at night.
The coldest month is July. The winter average temperature is 11 ºC; it rarely goes below 0 ºC. During the day, the cold weather is moderate, but at night, the temperature drops considerably. There are no frosts but it is necessary to go out wearing a wool coat, jacket and scarf or an overcoat.
Buenos Aires receives the influence of two types of regional winds: the “Pampero” and the Southeast. The first comes from the Southwest; it usually begins with a short storm that quickly gives way to a much colder and drier air. Although it can blow at any time of year, it does so with greater intensity in the summer; it is usually expected when the temperature drops after a day of sweltering heat.
The Southeast, rarer than the former, mainly occurs in the autumn and spring. It consists of a strong Southeasterly wind, cool and very wet, which lasts for several days and is often accompanied by constant, light rain. The continuous wind makes the tide of the Rio de la Plata rise, sometimes producing floods in the lower areas of the city, including the neighbourhood of La Boca.
Weather oddities
* Veranito de San Juan
Around June 24 (date of birth of St. John the Baptist), in the middle of the winter, the temperatures can reach 24 degrees Celsius. It lasts from 3 to 7 days. It is common to observe the people sunbathing on the squares of the city, as if the spring had arrived.
* Tormenta de Santa Rosa
This is a cycle of rains and thunderstorms that breaks out with the arrival of the spring, at the end of the cold season. It happens in the days around August 30th, feast of Santa Rosa.
* The snowfalls in the city are not common.
The last significant snowfall occurred on July 9, 2007, which began to precipitate in the form of sleet and ended up covering most of the city. In the suburban areas the storm was much greater. Similar records had occurred earlier in 1912, 1918, 1928 and 1967.