A state-of-the-art daily precipitation analysis for Brazil for the period 1961-present is used to examine the annual cycle and variability of daily precipitation over the country. Emphasis is placed on daily precipitation statistics (including frequency of occurrence, intensity and geographic distribution). We also present a climatology of major precipitation events for a few key regions in Brazil and highlight the composite evolution. The NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis is used to examine the large-scale circulation features associated with extreme precipitation events.