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Climate - Guatemala


Average weather, temperature, rainfall, when to go, what to pack

Flag - Guatemala

Map - Guatemala


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In Guatemala, the climate is tropical, hot all year round in the lowlands, while in mountainous areas, it becomes cooler with increasing altitude.
Geographically, the country is divided into three zones: in the north, there's an area almost entirely occupied by plains (departments of Petén, north of Alta Verapaz, and Izabal), with a short stretch of coastline on the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea); in the center, there's a large mountainous area, where the capital is also located; and finally, in the south, we find a thin flat strip south of the mountains, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
From December to March, Guatemala can be reached by cool air masses from the United States, and in these cases, the temperature at night can drop below 10 °C (50 °F) in Guatemala City, and around 13/15 °C (55/59 °F) in the plains.

Index


  • Equatorial climate - Puerto Barrios
  • The north - Flores
  • Pacific coast
  • Hills and mountains - Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango
  • Hurricanes
  • Best Time
  • What to pack

Equatorial climate



In almost all of Guatemala, there is a dry season from late November to mid-April, when the northeast trade winds blow, and a rainy season, from May to October, when the predominant currents come from the south-west.
However, north of the mountains and near the Gulf of Honduras, there is also an area where it rains all year round; in fact, in winter the trade winds reach the coast after picking up moisture from the sea, or they are forced to rise when they encounter the first mountain slopes. Although the rainfall still amounts to about 100 millimeters (4 inches) per month, the best period here is from February to April, since it goes better than in the rest of the year. Owing to the abundance of rainfall, the climate here can be defined as equatorial, and in fact, the area is occupied by a rainforest.
The area we are dealing with, which does not have a dry season, is shown in the following map.

Guatemala, humid zone

Puerto Barrios

Here are the average temperatures of Puerto Barrios, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea.
Puerto Barrios - Average temperatures
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January212824.5708276.1
February212925708477
March233227.5739081.5
April243328.5759183.3
May253329779184.2
June253329779184.2
July253228.5779083.3
August253329779184.2
September253329779184.2
October243127.5758881.5
November232926738478.8
December222825728277
Year23.631.227.3574.588.181

Here is the average precipitation in Puerto Barrios: as you can see, after all, the rains reach an acceptable level from February through April.
Puerto Barrios - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January2007.912
February1104.39
March953.77
April1154.56
May1505.99
June2509.819
July42016.522
August33513.221
September29011.419
October29511.617
November27510.814
December2208.714
Year2745108.1169

The Caribbean Sea is warm enough for swimming all year round.
Puerto Barrios - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January2781
February2781
March2882
April2883
May2984
June2985
July2985
August3085
September3085
October2985
November2984
December2882
Year28.683.5

Pacific coast



Let us now look at the areas having a dry and a rainy season.
To get an idea of the rainfall pattern on the south side, we can have a look at the precipitation data of Mazatenango, located at 370 meters (1,200 feet) above sea level, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from the southern coast. As we mentioned, there is a rainy season from May to October.
Mazatenango - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January100.41
February50.21
March351.43
April1003.97
May26010.217
June44517.522
July37014.621
August35013.822
September47018.523
October42016.521
November5025
December200.82
Year253599.8145

Along the south coast, the heat is intense throughout the year; in winter, the trade winds warm up as they descend on the leeward side of the mountains. So, the winter here is hot, with highs around 30/32 degrees Celsius (86/90 °F), but sometimes even above; on the positive side, it's sunny and not too humid. In March and April, before the rains, the hottest days occur, with peaks above 35 °C (95 °F).
Here are the average temperatures of Puerto San José, on the south coast.
San José - Average temperatures
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January203125.5688877.9
February203125.5688877.9
March213126708878.8
April233227.5739081.5
May233127738880.6
June233026.5738679.7
July233127738880.6
August233127738880.6
September233026.5738679.7
October233026.5738679.7
November223126.5728879.7
December203025688677
Year2230.726.371.687.379.5

The Pacific Ocean is warm enough to swim in all year round as well: the water temperature is between 27 °C (81 °F) in winter and 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. Here are the average sea temperatures near San José.
San José - Sea temperature
MonthCelsius (°C)Fahrenheit (°F)
January2781
February2781
March2882
April2984
May3086
June3086
July3086
August3086
September2984
October2984
November2984
December2882
Year28.984

The north



In the north, the Department of Petén is a bit cooler in the winter months, when high are around 26/28 °C (79/82 °F). Starting in March, the temperatures rise, reaching pretty high values. From May to October, the temperature drops a bit, but the heat becomes definitely sultry, as happens in all the lowland areas of Guatemala in the rainy period.

Flores

Here are the average temperatures of Flores, the capital of the Petén Department.
Flores - Average temperatures
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January172722.2638172.1
February172923638373.4
March193024.5658776.1
April203326.5699179.7
May223327.3719181.1
June223227.2729081
July223126.4718879.4
August213226.4708979.6
September223126.4718979.6
October213025.6708778.1
November192823.8668374.8
December182722.8658173
Year2030.425.156886.777

Rainfall is a bit more frequent than on the southern coast. Here is the average rainfall in Flores.
Flores - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January75311
February602.48
March451.86
April401.66
May1405.59
June2208.718
July2158.520
August2108.318
September2509.817
October2258.916
November1305.113
December953.712
Year171567.5154

In this area, we find the Mayan site of Tikal, surrounded by the forest (the National Park of the same name is a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Here, the best period is from February to April; in December, and partly also in January, it still rains quite a lot. It is also true that December and January are not as hot as the period from March to May, when there can be uncomfortably hot days.

Tikal

Hills and mountains



In the central area of Guatemala, occupied by mountains and plateaus, rainfall is scarce from December to April, as happens in the south, while the temperatures vary with altitude. During the rainy season, the rains are usually plentiful, but there are also some sheltered slopes which experience only moderate rains.

Guatemala City

The capital, Guatemala City, is located in the so-called tierras templadas, 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) above sea level, and has a spring-like climate all year round: the average daytime temperatures range from 23 °C (73 °F) in November and December to 28 °C (82 °F) in April. Temperatures are rarely too hot, even though they may exceed 30 °C (86 °F) from February to May. At night, the temperature is cool, sometimes a bit cold, actually, it can drop below 10 °C (50 °F). The city is also quite windy. Here are the average temperatures.
Guatemala City - Average temperatures
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January122418547564.4
February132519557766.2
March142720.5578168.9
April152821.5598270.7
May162721.5618170.7
June162520.5617768.9
July162520.5617768.9
August162520.5617768.9
September162420617568
October152419.5597567.1
November142318.5577365.3
December132318557364.4
Year14.72519.858.47767.5

Here too, the rainy season runs from May to October, with frequent and abundant rains from June to September, while from December to mid-April, it rains very rarely. Here is the average precipitation.
Guatemala City - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January80.33
February20.11
March120.53
April301.24
May1505.913
June27510.821
July2058.119
August1807.118
September2309.120
October1254.915
November200.85
December80.33
Year124549125

Although the tropical rains occur mainly in the form of heavy showers and downpours, the amount of sunshine in the rainy season is not good because cloudiness usually begins to develop in the warmest hours. Here are the sunshine hours per day in Guatemala City.
Guatemala City - Sunshine hours
MonthAverageTotal
January8250
February8.5235
March8245
April8240
May6185
June5155
July6185
August6190
September5.5160
October5.5180
November7210
December6.5210
Year6.72440

Quetzaltenango

In Quetzaltenango, located at 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, and therefore in the tierras frìas, the climate is cooler: the average temperature in January is only 12 °C (54 °F), with a remarkable difference between night and day, so much so that at night it often drops to around freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). From April to August, the daily average is 15/16 °C (59/61 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Quetzaltenango - Average temperatures
MonthMin (°C)Max (°C)Mean (°C)Min (°F)Max (°F)Mean (°F)
January22212367253.6
February32413.5377556.3
March42615397959
April62415437559
May92316487360.8
June92215.5487259.9
July82215467259
August92215.5487259.9
September92115487059
October82215467259
November62113.5437056.3
December32212.5377254.5
Year6.322.614.4543.472.658

Here too, there is a pronounced rainy season, but the rainfall amounts to just 800 millimeters (31.5 inches) per year, compared with 2,000/3,000 mm (78/118 in) of the rest of the country. This happens because the chain of mountains and volcanoes to the southwest partly blocks the moist air masses coming from the sea. However, rainfall exceeds 100 mm (4 in) per month between May and October. Here is the average precipitation.
Quetzaltenango - Average precipitation
MonthMillimetersInchesDays
January20.11
February60.21
March150.62
April401.66
May1305.117
June1505.922
July1003.918
August1054.118
September1355.323
October953.714
November200.86
December70.32
Year80531.7130

The relatively arid area, where Quetzaltenango is located, is shown in the following map.

Guatemala, semi-arid zone

In Guatemala, there are as many as 37 volcanoes, the highest of which is Volcán Tajumulco, which stands out with its 4,220 meters (13,845 feet) and is also the highest peak in Central America. Above 3,500 meters (11,500 ft), at night, it can freeze throughout the year.

Hurricanes



Guatemala is located in the path of tropical storms and hurricanes, which may affect the country in the period from June to November, however, they are most likely from August to October. Usually, they come from the east, from the Caribbean Sea, but sometimes, tropical depressions can also form on the Pacific Ocean, which can especially affect the western part of the country, as early as in mid-May.
Generally, the country is hit less intensively than Honduras; however, tropical storms and cyclones can cause heavy rains, which can trigger landslides and floods. Some hurricanes that hit the country in the past were Francelia in early September 1969, Fifi in mid-September 1974, Mitch in late October 1998, Keith in early October 2000, Iris in early October 2001, Felix in early September 2007, and Earl in early August 2016.

Best Time



The best time to visit Guatemala runs from December to mid-April on the central plateau and on the southern side, and corresponds only to the period from February to April along the Caribbean coast and in the Petén Department.

What to pack



In Guatemala City and the tierras templadas: all year round, bring light clothing, a sweatshirt or sweater and a jacket for the evening; a raincoat or umbrella from May to October.
In plains and coasts: bring lightweight clothes throughout the year; in the rainy season, a light sweatshirt and a light raincoat for thunderstorms.
When going to the reef, you can bring snorkeling equipment, including water shoes or rubber-soled shoes.
On high mountains: warm clothes, a jacket, a hat, gloves, and hiking shoes.

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