Brazil's climate varies greatly.
The SE trade wind belt, which predominates from March to August, can be felt on the north coast of Brazil as far south as Salvador. During the austral winter months the SE trades have a lot of south in them, and sailing down the coast can be difficult. An eye must be kept on the weather, as the winds can change direction suddenly putting a boat on to a dangerous lee shore.
This northern coast enjoys the NE trade wind from November to March which is the wet season. The best time to sail down the Brazilian coast is from January to April, when the NE trade winds are stable. Recommendations are to stay a minimum of 500NM from the continent to avoid the currents and then change tack to head directly to Cabedelo.
Most of the northern part of the Brazilian coast above Rio de Janeiro is under the influence of NE winds which are strongest in the summer close to the coast between December and February.
South of Rio winds tend to be variable but are mainly from a NE direction from October to April. In April, NW and SW winds tend to blow as well as those from the NE, but by May SW winds have established themselves and these blow until October.
Further south in the River Plate Estuary the prevailing wind is from the east in the summer. The remainder of the year W to SW winds blow. Local winds in this area include the pampero (violent short-lived SW storms preceded by a long, dark, horizontal rolling cloud) and the sudestada (a SE winds which blows at 40 to 50 knots and can last between 3 and 7 days, normally between June and October).
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