Peru’s winter, which began on Friday, will be colder than last year, according to the country’s national weather service, Senamhi.
The weather on Peru’s coast, where much of the population lives, is being impacted by lower temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, said Raquel Loayza, a specialist with Senamhi.
The temperatures “will be lower than those from last year,” daily Peru.21 reported Loayza saying.
In Lima, the temperatures are expected to drop the most in August and September, Loayza said, adding that there may be a few days of sunshine in the Peruvian capital in June and July. Lima, a city of some 9 million people, is known for being overcast for much of the time from about May to October. The 19th century Peruvian architect Hector Velarde described the cloud cover as “donkey belly gray” and in July and August the cloud can be impenetrable, forcing airline flights to be re-routed south to the airport at Pisco.
While temperatures vary in Lima, due to the city’s many microclimates, Senamhi reported temperatures of 15.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, with humidity of 97 percent. Residents in Lima blame the high humidity for making it feel colder than the temperatures show, and also causing respiratory illnesses, especially for children and the elderly.
In the Peruvian highlands, temperatures can dip well below freezing. The lack of infrastructure in Andean communities to ward off the cold causes dozens of deaths, mainly children, every year.
