City of Fog - The Climate of Lima, Peru
LIMA, PERU. A nation's capital. A sprawling city of 10 million people. This city lies between some of the highest peaks in the world, and the planet's largest ocean. The world's only major city to exist in a desert within the tropics, it is host to one of the world's most peculiar climates. A city of mild temperatures, rolling fogs and almost no rain, this is the world's tropical desert metropolis.
🕐CHAPTERS🕖
👉0:00 Introduction and Titles
👉0:48 Geographic and climatic overview
👉1:52 Main causes
👉2:43 Effects on climate
👉3:41 Meterological explanation
👉5:37 Koppen classification
👉6:36 Civic drought handling
👉7:36 Outro
In this video, look at one of the world's rarest sub-climates, the relatively mild desert of the Peruvian coast, and that nation's capital, Lima, lying squarely within this zone. We explore how it is that this city, only 12 degrees from the equator, experiences virtually no rain, on account of the Andes blocking tropical trade winds, and the cold Humboldt ocean current keeping waters much colder than normal for the tropics, and dramatically affecting local weather.
I take an in-depth look as to why so much fog rolls over this city, and yet, despite all this humidity, it almost never rains. The answer is in hydrology and how rain is formed (or not formed in this case, due to, among other things, an inversion layer).
And yet despite the parched conditions, the city has grown into a metropolis, with water piped down from the Andes. More rural communities along the coast, however, have resorted to ingenious means in which to make the desert "rain"...
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Research and Media Procurement Assistance, Spanish CC Translation: Richard Torres
Narrated, Written and Produced by
B.J.Ranson
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The only tropical city where you don't see the sun for six months
Our temperature range seems ideal but as winter advances relative humidity approaches 100% which can feel quite uncomfortable even with our mild winter temperatures. Our buildings have no insulation of any sort. Having your clothes, coats, sheets, blankets and socks be constantly damp can make you shiver even at 15°C. Allergies and lung conditions are quite common too.
@@matiaslopez-chau5762worst city ever
Always been fascinated with Lima.. from Manila, Philippines here
Trivia: you can see the sun every day in Lima during April, just at the end of summer and before the foggy season.
That sounds like a "Pro Tip" 😄
Thanks for this video. I had always thought Lima has a peculiar climate. It's a desert city without the desert heat and very less sunlight hours compared to its tropical latitude.
I live in Lima and we do receive sprinkles from time to time during summer months as the humidity in the Andes increases and that humidity gets transported by the trade winds towards the coast so we experience some quick showers but they're light and short-lived.
@@Geodiode Hmm not really.. Lima is really big, so perhaps the most far out places in the east (Cieneguilla and Chosica) could experience a relative mild storm... but in the central districts it never properly rains, mind that i say rain and not drizzle 'cause we have a lot of that... In my 35 years living here i've never witnessed a lightning storm or a shower rain in this city, that's why all the buildings here are flat roofed and full of dust and we have no storm discharge in the sewers. The only exception would be at times when el Niño strikes but even so, it brings landslides and floods in the high parts of the city, not rain in the city itself.
@@bluephoenix4 Yes, I was going to ask about strong El Niño years ...
@@bluephoenix4 what is El Niño?
@@oozma1292 It's a natural phenomenom. produces torrential rains and droughts. It's very complex you should watch a video to understand better.
Is it hot as long as it's not dry if it's cold and humid that's ok I'm a mushroom pretty much...as we speak I'm struggling to swollow so I can breathe...my feet look like I'm 300 yrs old and I'm only 36 Australia mate Australia the land of insane opposites with no in-between
This video was fascinating, thank you. Found the explanation of the physics behind the Lima, Peru fog really interesting.
Glad you liked it!
Woah, what a surprise to see a video of my home city, great work and great research, i can confirm to everything said in the video, we experience little temperature change and it's always humid and no rain ever... What's funny to me is at times we limeños complain about the weather here, especially when changing seasons, it's too cold or too hot (thermal sensation gets amp by humidity but still; we never drop below 12ºC in winter or pass 32ºC in summer).
Thank you for making clearer the effect of the Humboldt current or the Peru current which is peculiar in the western portion of South America. Surprisingly, I learn from the comments, too. Great job! ❤️
You're welcome Nancy!
Great video! Do you think you will cover the climate in La Paz Bolivia? It is a interesting climate. It is 12k ft elevation and is classified as a tundra apparently. Though the coldest month high is only 62F and the hottest month is only 67f. Its very odd.
Due to the unusual cooler ocean temperature for its latitude, the air near the coast and near the ground stays cooler than the air at near 900 meters, this is because the ocean temperature cools the air near the ground and produces an inversion in the temperature which also contributes to block the formation of rain clouds and accentuates the air pollution.
@@Geodiode Yes, inversion in temperature is a weird phenomenon, it's not common at all. In some valleys in the mountains sometimes experience this particular situation too, having fog near the ground and the picks over them seen clear skies.
The people who was born in Lima are called LImeños. We as a limeños, could enjoy a full sunny day , any time of the year. Just going toward the mountains for about 30 minutes. In Places as Chosica, Cieneguilla, etc. Even better if going to Lunahuana for Rafting in the Cañete River. Living in Lima is not like living in London or New York. The Sun is available 6 months per year and the next 6 months is on the Highlands. That is why Lima Winter is not depressing, on the contrary a happy weather all year long , not too cold , not too hot
Thanks, and great to hear the local perspective. It's a very different climate to Britain. And yes, you can escape the fog and cloud by going just a bit inland.
Yesterday in Lima was sunny (winter time), the day before yesterday was sunny too. Today is a little bit cloudy, but nice temperature. About 1/3 of all the days in Lima are sunny nowadays
@@carlosespinoza2453 That’s because El Niño. A normal year in Lima is like the winter of 2021
@@carlosespinoza2453 The city this year is not having its usual climate, because the water are warmer. Lima did not have as many sunny days as now since 1997
Lima has a very nice weather all year round. Not too hot not too cold. And whenever we need, could go to the low highlands in search of full-day sunny experience. And the Ocean View is amazing.
Interesting climate. I would like to experience it for myself someday.
Amazing video! Also those fog catchers are by far the most genius things I’ve seen in my life
It's like something out of Dune
Yes! Amazing. It dates back to the Incas. Search for "fog collection" on Wiki. The first man made fog collectors have origins stretching back as far as the Inca Empire
Thank you for the video. I am from Lima, Peru and now i live in the U. S. for half of my life. I was taking a class in geosystems, specifically in biomes and your videos were extremely helpful. I hope you have a blessed christmas goodbye. In all my life until the year I left which was when I was seventeen. I only saw one thunder lightning; it was amazing, and I realized that rain is what happens in Lima is a joke of an actual storm. I live in Virginia now and the first time that I was in a storm I was freaking out.
Thanks for writing Joao, and I'm glad you found my channel, and that it was useful! Yes, it must have seemed amazing to first experience real rain after the static conditions of Lima!
Another amazing work.
Excelent! And another interesting feature of this very foggy climate from May to November, is that the hills of the coast facing the ocean become really green with multiple plant species that remained dormant during the sunny months.
Interesting - are you referring to the extensive cliffs right by the ocean? Or the hills further inland? Clearly in summer the relative humidity drops to the point where little fog occurs, but I suspect in winter you have plant species adapted to catch the frequent fogs.
@@Geodiode The cliffs facing the ocean are located in the capital and in some parts north (Pasamayo) or south (Paracas National Reserve or in the coast of Arequipa). The cliffs in Lima are green because of ancient irrigation systems that still brings water from inland to now extinct agricultural land, but that still brings water and gets to the hills. Further inland (5 to 10 km or more from the coast) you have elevations up to 1000 metres than blocks the humidity from the ocean and that is when you have this greening effect of the desert and rocky hills in winter. This is called "Lomas costeras" and also happens in northern Chile. We have the "Lomas de Lachay" National Park and the "Lomas de Atiquipa" Private Conservation Area as better examples of this phenomenon. Great channel, keep the knowledge coming!
We also have that type of climate here in northern coastal cities like Arica and Iquique, since the conditions are almost the same. Great video as always.
Northern Chile**
@@Geodiode yes, it has rained, but not the usual rain seen on the tropics, rather more like a short drizzle. However, some years not a single raindrop is seen.
@@themetalmastah666 Asi es amigo, uno de los tantos fenomenos naturales que compartimos entre Peru y el norte de Chile.... costa desertica pero sorpresivamente diversa en fauna, cielos limpios (fuera de la ciudades) y colinas verdes en invierno. Muchos saludos.
Great as always!
So glad to see another video
Very informative and well planned video's. I thought I knew so much about Geography but there's always something new to learn. Thanks Geodiode.
Thanks Harry, and you're welcome!
Loved it many thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video! I would add that the eastern parts of the city get much more sunlight in winter than the coastal zones (where tourists basically stay). A less than two hours drive from Miraflores and you get a lovely sunny climate (a bit chilly at night though). Lima's mild climate has a direct impact on its exponential demographic growth in the past sixty years, it has helped preserve some of its Pre-Inca constructions (in spite of earthquakes), and has supported the availability all year round of local vegetables and fruits. A lot to study about this weird climate, indeed. Thanks for the video!
You're welcome. And thanks for the local perspective. Yes the fog rarely reaches more inland areas of the city, and so you have a much warmer and sunnier climate.
Greetings from Lima! exceptional presentation!. There is an added tidbit of info you could've shared. The coast might be a "desert" but its extremely fertile, and allows us to be #1 exporter of asparagus and blueberries for example, using a relatively tiny amount of land. And water comes from the Andes in many small rivers, which have been channeled over thousands of years by our ancient civilizations. its always a good opportunity to remind people that "desert" actually means "lack of rain" not unfertile soil necessarily, although we do have salt deserts, which is i believe how its called. For the ones that are truly impossible to grow food on. Cheers! PS: This summer there was so much fog that many days, and even weeks would go by "without summer sun" so it would cool at 19C or 20C lol.
What a great content. I really love it
@@Geodiode I wonder what happens in east Africa, kenya and somalia are in the equator but they have deserts.
South America is an absolute gold mine for the Climate Casebook
great job Sr!
Fantastic video
Thanks! 😃
Intresting city
Fantastic video! I've always wondered about fog cities like this. I wonder if you've ever thought about looking into Salalah as well? A place with extremely low rainfall, but fog dense and thick enough during their "khareef" season that they support tropical-esque vegetation?
Thanks v much! Yes, I have it on my list of future episodes to cover Salalah.
@@Geodiode Woo hoo! Looking forward to it!!!
Muito bom!
Nice channel.
awesome
good!
Excellent video, I wonder what other major cities have exceptional climates like Lima.
I think Walvis bay in Namibia is the most comparable, but it’s not a large city.
@@alaskanbullworm5500 yes - very similar temperature range, but with a bit of rain - en.climate-data.org/africa/namibia/erongo-region/walvis-bay-835/ This place and nearby Swakopmund fall within the BWk climate category, it seems, due to the annual average temperature just falling below 22 celsius, whereas Lima is just above this and hence BWh. But this is an academic distinction.
I’m interested in the climate of La Paz/ El Alto region. Almost meets the criteria of a tundra climate somehow, despite hardly ever going below freezing in the winter
@@mooseears9849 Well its almost 5000 meters above sea level, that's why.
SUPER
Yes very good
Lima sounds a great deal like the Southern California coast in the summer. The 'June Gloom' was famous. And the daily weather forecast letting us know when the low clouds would retreat the coast. It was so frustrating living about 10km from the coast on a hot day and find the beach enveloped in clouds and cold by comparison.
Western South America is by far coolest region for its latitude at low elevation
good video
Thanks!
When I visited Miraflores I remember not being able to do much until after 2 PM or so, when the fog eased up
Yes, that's how I remembered it. Although I think it depends upon the time of year. In the summer about half the mornings were sunny as I recall.
I have been to Swavkopmund and it has quite a similar climate
Yes, almost the same.
very good, I know nothing about the science, but am eager to understand some of it
Thanks, good to watch the playlist "Secrets of World Climate", then "Climate Casebook", as I take you through the subject in sequence.
I never knew such an equatorial city had even less rain than Cairo, that is until I had watched this video.
Yep! It's a total anomaly in global climate for such a large city.
Lima is actually one of the cities with less difference between the maximum temperature in summer and the minimum temperature in winter... being one of the cities with less spectrum of temperature in al year aroud in Latinamerica, yet it has a wide range of mean temperature from winter to summer considering its latitude.. And this is due to the lack of difference in temperature dailywise, but a wide difference yearlywise.
The difference in Lima's temperatures from summer to winter reminds me the Subpolar Oceanic climate (Cfc).
In terms of few differences between the maximum and minimum I mean.
Yes. Historically it has never reached more than 10 degrees difference between summer and winter, i.e hottest summer recorded was 31 Celsius (average is 26) and coldest winter was 11 Celsius (avg is 14). Here in NYC where I live goes from -5°C in winter to 30°C in summer. A 35 degree difference!!!
What software do you use for the maps, is it google earth with a kml file
@@Geodiode ooh awesome thanks :)
If Lima receives little rain because the land it is on is much hotter than the nearby ocean, why does East Asia receive a wet summer for the same reason?
Because East Asia (as all eastern continental margins at subtropical to temperate latitudes), are bounded by a warm ocean instead of cold. Watch my "Humid Subtropical" and "Hot Deserts" vids to get this full picture.
@@Geodiode Okay. Thanks for the quick response. Is there a reason why oceans on the eastern coasts of continents experience lower pressure than the continents themselves (That's what I inferred from your Humid Subtropical video).
I have been there. But only for a few days.
I visited Lima for 10 days in January 2017. I enjoyed a couple of very nice days, but not much. The sky was almost always grey, even though it was their summer period. Locals refers to it as "the Lima Grey". Add to that almost always grey sky the fact that the city is relatively poor, with lots of brown buildings, and you end up with a "brown & grey" city. You don't visit Lima for its beauties.
👍👍👍👍👍
PLS DO A SERIES EXCLUSIVELY ON ELEVATIONand terrain. MEMBERS ONLY OR JUST OUT THERE 😳🙏
dude.....pls make a video about climate and ancient civilisation...which climate is best for human civilisations..
I’d love to see a video like that. I’m personally most comfortable in CxB climates
ill be here on the 2nd of December
Enjoy it - and stay in Miraflores if you can! Very nice there, and safe!
Interesting! Wondering what that means for plant life 🤔
This foggy climate during 6 - 7 months a year, combined with rocky hills 5 to 10 km inland, ends up covering these hills in a green coat of herbs and weeds that have remained dormant during the summer months. "Lomas costeras" is this phenomenon called. We have a big national park called "Lomas de Lachay NP" that protects this kind of ecosystem. This lushness attracts all kinds of fauna as well as goat nomadic herders from further inland with thousands of animals.
@@ErnestoCore are there goats in lomas costeras? didn't know about it
You can grow crops year round, that's what it means lol
Hi love your videos, why is it that cities in the Southern Hemisphere with the same distance from the equator aren’t as cold as northern hemisphere cities with the same distance from the equator? Is it cause the southern continents have little land compared to the size of Eurasia or North America?
It’s a combination of the lack of land (more oceanic moderation), as well as mountains such as the Andes which lower temperatures
@@mooseears9849 oh I see but how do the Andes keep the temps warmer
@@MESSI-fx1ob Elevation/ mountain ranges cool temperatures down. It’s the reason why Santa Fe, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona have milder summers and colder winters than Albuquerque and Phoenix respectively
@@mooseears9849 sure but how does that account for the higher temps in South America in comparison to similar latitudes in Eurasia
@@mooseears9849 but how does that account for the higher temperatures in South America despite having equivalent latitudes to Eurasia
How big does a city have to be to be classified as a major city? I was shocked that Lima is the only one in a tropical desert and went searching the globe to prove it. Khartoum, Sudan is at 15 degrees north, is in bWh and has a metro of 5 million. Does it qualify?
Well pretty much most cities in the Sahara would be tropical deserts like every city in Egypt - Alexandria,Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, Sharm El seikh- to name a few
any city with a population of over 10 million is a megacity.
Probably the only one in the Southern Hemisphere that has over 10 million people.
I’m probably going to get hate for this. I truly dislike Lima’s climate. You are basically taking the dry weather of a desert, but without any of the sunlight, especially in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter months. The only positive left is temperatures, but that is thrown out the window when you realize the humidity is so high in the winter. According to Wikipedia, it surpasses that of New Orleans! I still can’t find any merits to that setup
Being a "limeño" by birth, my chronic asthma can't be more agree with you. There have been some attempts to develop technology that traps this humidity and store it as drinking water (we will be facing a serious shortage in the future) but nothing at a big scale. This gloomy weather has produced many writers and poets though, should that count? Cheers.
Well I was only there in the summer, and it was very pleasant. I guess I need to spend some time there in the gloomy drizzly winter to get the full story!
@@Geodiode Winters for me meant having a never-ending runny nose and a constant sneezing. I went through boxes upon boxes of tissues. I think the fact that there's dust everywhere had something to do with it. Very unpleasant. I left the country and all that went away immediately. Now when I go back to visit it has to be in the Summer.
I used to hate the climate when i was younger. But i've grown to love it and appreciate it. Trust me, you don't want to shovel snow in Canada or suffer from massive heat. The problem is that most districts are build without taking into account ways to harness the climate to benefit homes. So Miraflores is cool and windy and not polluted, but Comas for example, or SJL, have so low investment in parks and green areas in general, even house gardens and don't finish and paint the house, so there is a lot of man-made dirt that makes the local microclimate much worse.
@@Geodiode It depends on the district you stay and the quality of the buildings in said district.
I like the "n" notation for Koppen but too bad there's no official definition. My definition of it would be a desert with average temperature between 13C and 23C with less than 10C difference between the hottest and coldest month. The choice for the 13C and 23C range is just to fall right in the middle of the 18C isotherm for hot/cold deserts. Lima would be BWn and San Diego would be BSn.
How's the highest warm weather in Peru?
@Gian Rey thank you for answered my question, is that possible that other places who's part in Lima could get a let's just a winter? And what are those places?
AY, NO SABIA LO COMPLICADO QUE ES NUESTRO CLIMA.....JA JA JA, PENSANDOLO BIEN, TODO AQUI ES COMPLICADO, DESDE LOS RELIEVES HASTA SU GENTE, POLITICOS Y PRESIDENTES.
So it is simply in a fog desert, which is typical for coastal (sub)tropical deserts.
In a nutshell yes, but much closer to the equator than other such places
@@Geodiode True. That makes it unique since if it was not for the mountains on both sides, it would be a rainforest. But funny is, that it is again the trade winds causing the fog dessert. Is Lima on a mountain slope? In that case, it could also be fog oasis.
Kurt Cobain would have loved Lima, Peru
i don't agree ..in every country in winter ..like canada where i live, is cloudy mostly every day..in the summer lima is hot and is not cloudy ..and another thing, on ly a part of lima's been con structed in a dessert, but most of lima is near the mountains and is not dessert...i know that because i've born in LIMA..
Desert is define as "a place with little to no rain" So yes, all of Lima is built in the desert, even if there are rivers and greenery. In the summer there are still clouds, less, but there are a lot still. Above the cloud cover, temperatures can reach 40C!!! Try it next time you fly on a plane. Nuestra torta de nubes siempre está presente!
Still partial to the Mediterranean climate!
I dont care about the grey sky, the only thing that upsets me is that there is little to no rain for months and when it rains, its just small drops of water, not even a real rainfall
Yes i can imagine it is frustrating. Grey skies, drizzle, but no actual rain
Nation states of the world #4 Germany please
what an amazing climate, if i was homeless i'd live here lmao
You'll never go cold!
Peru was not founded in 1535. Peru was founded 28 July 1821, and for thousands of years before that various groups of People and Civilisations lived there.
What part of "Lima, Peru, was founded in 1535" at 0:53 did you not understand? Yes, the Rimac valley has been occupied for thousands of years, but the current city was founded by Pizarro in the stated year. This is a matter of historical record.
Peru was not founded in 28 July 1821 It became a Republic in the year . Lima was founded in 1535
@@Geodiode Yepp! You're totally right! That is my bad ,seeing it typed out I see what you actually said and meant I think a pause threw me off but I probably should've double checked before submitting my comment. My bad dude! I enjoyed your video tho too, by the way!
I've heard that once you go to an altitude of more than 500 meters you'll be above the fog and it'll be sunny all year, how far from Lima is the closest spot with this altitude?
Well, Legendary Pussy Destroyer, only a few miles apparently. Some Limenos have left some comments on this here