Riobamba climate — normals and trends
Riobamba (Ecuador) has a tundra climate (ET) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 7.9 °C and it receives 1,480 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is September (8.2 °C on average) and the coldest is July (7.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
Riobamba averages 7 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 247 rainy days per year.
Riobamba has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.23 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 14 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 22.3 °C (on 1 October 1972) and the coldest -3.7 °C (on 29 October 1947).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
RiobambaChimborazo Province
- coords
- -1.67°, -78.66°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
7.9°C
Average daily high
13.7°C
Average daily low
3.5°C
Annual rainfall
1,480mm
Sunshine / day
9.7h
Mean relative humidity
80%
Average peak wind
9.3km/h
Seasonal range
1.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
7 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
247 d/yr
Annual snowfall
8.1 cm
Average feels-like high
13.0 °C
Average feels-like low
0.9 °C
Average peak gust
32.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.60 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
22.3 °C
1 October 1972
Coldest day
-3.7 °C
29 October 1947
Wettest day
64 mm
20 June 1941
Windiest day
152.8 km/h
26 April 1977
Strongest gust
81.0 km/h
5 September 1962
Hottest feels-like
22.2 °C
1 October 1972
Coldest feels-like
-17.0 °C
26 April 1977
Snowiest day
19.4 cm
17 February 1948
Sunniest day
12.1 h
21 January 1952
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.6 °C | +0.8 °C | 155 mm | +12 mm |
| Feb | 14.3 °C | +0.7 °C | 266 mm | +90 mm |
| Mar | 14.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 306 mm | +92 mm |
| Apr | 14.9 °C | +1.3 °C | 216 mm | +11 mm |
| May | 14.1 °C | +0.6 °C | 151 mm | +14 mm |
| Jun | 13.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 82 mm | +4 mm |
| Jul | 13.1 °C | +0.1 °C | 104 mm | +54 mm |
| Aug | 14.0 °C | -0.1 °C | 60 mm | +31 mm |
| Sep | 15.0 °C | +0.1 °C | 83 mm | +33 mm |
| Oct | 14.5 °C | +0.4 °C | 211 mm | +81 mm |
| Nov | 14.6 °C | +0.9 °C | 246 mm | +116 mm |
| Dec | 15.5 °C | +1.8 °C | 30 mm | -105 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Riobamba?
Riobamba has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 7.9 °C and it receives 1,480 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Riobamba?
The hottest day measured in Riobamba between 1940 and 2025 was 1 October 1972, reaching 22.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Riobamba?
The coldest day measured in Riobamba between 1940 and 2025 was 29 October 1947, at -3.7 °C.
Does it snow in Riobamba?
Yes. Riobamba gets on average 8.1 cm of snow per year and has around 7 frost days.
Has the climate of Riobamba warmed?
Yes: Riobamba warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Riobamba?
The wettest day measured in Riobamba between 1940 and 2025 was 20 June 1941, with 64 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Riobamba?
The windiest day measured in Riobamba between 1940 and 2025 was 26 April 1977, with winds reaching 152.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Riobamba?
The warmest month in Riobamba is September (8.2 °C on average); the coldest is July (7.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Riobamba?
Riobamba receives on average 1,480 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 247 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Riobamba?
Riobamba gets on average 9.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,540 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Riobamba?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Riobamba between 1940 and 2025 was 17 February 1948, with 19.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Riobamba?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Riobamba.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Riobamba?
In Riobamba, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 22.2 °C on 1 October 1972, and the lowest was -17.0 °C on 26 April 1977.
Compare Riobamba with another city
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Nearby cities
The climate around Riobamba