Maracaibo is one of the hottest cities of Venezuela and all of South America as well. The rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta gives the city a semiarid climate (Köppen: BSh) attenuated only by the moderating influence of the lake; Maracaibo's average historical temperature is . In the past, the climate of the city, indeed all along the coast of Lake Maracaibo, was unhealthy due to the combination of high temperatures with high humidity. Today, control of plagues and the effects of urban development has largely eradicated these health problems. The registered high temperature of the city is , and the lowest is .