In Guatemala the climate is tropical, hot all year round in the lowlands, and cooler with increasing altitude in mountainous areas.
Geographically the country is divided into three zones: in the north, we find 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 centre a large mountainous area, where also the capital is located; and finally in the south, a thin flat strip south of the mountains, overlooking the Pacific coast.
From December to March, Guatemala can be reached by cool air masses from the United States, and in these cases at night the temperature can drop below 10 °C (50 °F) in Guatemala City, and around 13/15 °C (55/59 °F) in the plains.

Index

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

Equatorial climate

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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, there is also an area, north of the mountains and near the Gulf of Honduras, where it rains all year round, because in the dry season 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: here the best period goes from February to April, when however, rainfall amounts to about 100 millimetres (4 inches) per month (because it goes better than in the rest of the year). Due 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.

Puerto Barrios

Here are the average temperatures of Puerto Barrios, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea.

Here is the average precipitation in Puerto Barrios: as you can see, after all the rains reach an acceptable level from February through April.

The Caribbean Sea is warm enough for swimming all year round.

Pacific coast

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Let's now look at the areas having both a dry and a rainy season.
To get an idea of the rainfall pattern on the south side, we can look at the precipitation of Mazatenango, located at 370 metres (1,200 feet) above sea level, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) away from the southern coast. As we said, there is a rainy season from May to October.

Along the south coast, the heat is intense throughout the year, because in winter the trade winds heat up as they descend on the leeward side of the mountains. So here winter 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.

For swimming, the Pacific Ocean is warm enough all year round as well: the water temperature varies between 27 °C (81 °F) in winter and 30 °C (86 °F) in summer.

The north

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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 from 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 Department of Petén.

The rains are a bit more frequent than in the southern coast. Here is the average rainfall in Flores.

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, because in December, and partly still in January, it still rains quite a lot. It is also true that in December and January it is less hot than in the period from March to May, when there may be uncomfortably hot days.

Hills and mountains

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In the central area of Guatemala, occupied by mountains and plateaus, the rains are 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 tierras templadas, at 1,500 metres (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.

Even here 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.

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.

Quetzaltenango

In Quetzaltenango, located at 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) above sea level, therefore in the tierras frìas, the climate gets cooler: the average temperature in January is only 12 °C (54 °F), with a remarkable temperature range between night and day, 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.

Even here there is a pronounced rainy season, but the rainfall amounts to just 800 millimetres (31.5 inches) per year, compared with 2,000/3,000 mm of the rest of the country, because the chain of mountains and volcanoes stretching in the southwest part, partly block the moist air masses coming from the sea. However, the rains exceed 100 mm (4 in) per month between May and October. Here is the average precipitation.

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



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

Hurricanes

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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 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.

When to go

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The best time to visit Guatemala runs from December to mid-April in 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 Department of Petén.

What to pack

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

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