Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Holguín CubaIn Holguín, the summers are hot, oppressive, and overcast and the winters are comfortable, muggy, dry, windy, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 66°F to 91°F and is rarely below 60°F or above 93°F. Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Holguín for hot-weather activities is from mid November to early May. Average Temperature in HolguínThe hot season lasts for 3.8 months, from June 6 to October 1, with an average daily high temperature above 89°F. The hottest month of the year in Holguín is July, with an average high of 90°F and low of 74°F. The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 26 to February 27, with an average daily high temperature below 83°F. The coldest month of the year in Holguín is January, with an average low of 66°F and high of 82°F.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. Linhares, Brazil (3,710 miles away) and Campo Alegre, Brazil (3,444 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Holguín (view comparison). CloudsIn Holguín, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in Holguín begins around November 12 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around May 8. The clearest month of the year in Holguín is February, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 84% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around May 8 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around November 12. The cloudiest month of the year in Holguín is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 72% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Holguín varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 6.0 months, from May 7 to November 5, with a greater than 17% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Holguín is October, with an average of 7.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 6.0 months, from November 5 to May 7. The month with the fewest wet days in Holguín is January, with an average of 2.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Holguín is October, with an average of 7.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 28% on October 8.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Holguín experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. Rain falls throughout the year in Holguín. The month with the most rain in Holguín is October, with an average rainfall of 2.4 inches. The month with the least rain in Holguín is January, with an average rainfall of 0.6 inches.
SunThe length of the day in Holguín varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 10 hours, 52 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 24 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:08 AM on November 3, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 9 minutes later at 7:17 AM on March 10. The earliest sunset is at 5:22 PM on November 26, and the latest sunset is 2 hours, 28 minutes later at 7:50 PM on July 3. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Holguín during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3. The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. Holguín experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 9.5 months, from March 28 to January 12, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 57% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Holguín is August, with 30.1 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in Holguín is February, with 13.4 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in Holguín experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 6.6 months, from October 29 to May 15, with average wind speeds of more than 9.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Holguín is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 10.7 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 5.4 months, from May 15 to October 29. The calmest month of the year in Holguín is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.3 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Holguín is from the east throughout the year. Water TemperatureHolguín is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.3 months, from July 17 to October 26, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Holguín with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 85°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.7 months, from December 30 to April 20, with an average temperature below 80°F. The month of the year in Holguín with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 78°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in Holguín throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Holguín for general outdoor tourist activities is from early December to late March, with a peak score in the last week of January. Tourism Score in HolguínThe beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Holguín for hot-weather activities is from mid November to early May, with a peak score in the last week of March. Beach/Pool Score in HolguínMethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). Temperatures in Holguín are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year. Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 1.8 months, from March 12 to May 7, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.4 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Holguín is April, with an average of 6.8 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 4.8 months, from August 28 to January 21, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.9 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Holguín is December, with an average of 4.5 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Holguín are 20.887 deg latitude, -76.263 deg longitude, and 479 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of Holguín contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 653 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 510 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (915 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,238 feet). The area within 2 miles of Holguín is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and cropland (32%), within 10 miles by cropland (66%) and trees (21%), and within 50 miles by cropland (50%) and water (26%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in Holguín, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, Frank País International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of Holguín. At a distance of 12 kilometers from Holguín, closer than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed sufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. The station records are corrected for the elevation difference between the station and Holguín according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. Please note that the station records themselves may additionally have been back-filled using other nearby stations or the MERRA-2 reanalysis. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |