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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Quetzaltenango Guatemala

In Quetzaltenango, the wet season is overcast, the dry season is mostly clear, and it is comfortable year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 42°F to 70°F and is rarely below 37°F or above 74°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Quetzaltenango for warm-weather activities is from mid February to late April.

Climate in Quetzaltenango

comfortableJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow77%77%4%4%clearovercastprecipitation: 10.4 inprecipitation: 10.4 in0.1 in0.1 inmuggy: 0%muggy: 0%0%0%drydrytourism score: 4.3tourism score: 4.32.52.5
Quetzaltenango weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The temperature in Quetzaltenango varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

Average High and Low Temperature in Quetzaltenango

Average High and Low Temperature in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FJan 2266°FJan 2266°FApr 770°FApr 770°F42°F42°F47°F47°FMay 769°FMay 769°FSep 566°FSep 566°F49°F49°F50°F50°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 66°F68°F69°F70°F68°F66°F66°F67°F66°F65°F66°F66°F
Temp. 53°F54°F56°F58°F58°F57°F57°F57°F57°F56°F55°F53°F
Low 42°F43°F45°F48°F50°F51°F50°F50°F51°F49°F46°F43°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.

Average Hourly Temperature in Quetzaltenango

Average Hourly Temperature in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowvery coldcoldcoldcoolcomfortablecomfortablevery cold
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Viña del Mar, Chile (3,564 miles away); Matamba, Tanzania (8,747 miles); and Ooty, India (10,463 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Quetzaltenango (view comparison).

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In Quetzaltenango, 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 Quetzaltenango begins around November 17 and lasts for 5.0 months, ending around April 16.

The clearest month of the year in Quetzaltenango is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 76% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 16 and lasts for 7.0 months, ending around November 17.

The cloudiest month of the year in Quetzaltenango is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 95% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Quetzaltenango

Cloud Cover Categories in QuetzaltenangoclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Jan 2677%Jan 2677%Jun 134%Jun 134%Nov 1740%Nov 1740%Apr 1641%Apr 1641%NowNowclearmostly clearmostly cloudyovercastpartly cloudy
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 24%26%33%59%87%95%91%91%94%85%60%35%
Clearer 76%74%67%41%13%5%9%9%6%15%40%65%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Quetzaltenango varies very significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.7 months, from May 9 to October 31, with a greater than 39% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Quetzaltenango is September, with an average of 22.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.3 months, from October 31 to May 9. The month with the fewest wet days in Quetzaltenango is January, with an average of 0.9 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 Quetzaltenango is September, with an average of 22.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 75% on September 13.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Quetzaltenango

Daily Chance of Precipitation in QuetzaltenangowetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Sep 1375%Sep 1375%Jan 232%Jan 232%May 939%May 939%Oct 3139%Oct 3139%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 0.9d0.9d2.9d7.1d14.9d21.1d20.2d20.9d22.1d17.5d7.1d1.6d

To 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. Quetzaltenango experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from March 7 to December 10, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Quetzaltenango is September, with an average rainfall of 10.4 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from December 10 to March 7. The month with the least rain in Quetzaltenango is January, with an average rainfall of 0.1 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Quetzaltenango

The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 0.1″0.2″0.7″2.2″5.7″9.3″7.8″8.6″10.4″7.2″2.3″0.3″

The length of the day in Quetzaltenango varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 15 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 0 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Quetzaltenango

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 6 minMar 1912 hr, 6 minMar 1913 hr, 0 minJun 2013 hr, 0 minJun 2012 hr, 7 minSep 2212 hr, 7 minSep 2211 hr, 15 minDec 2111 hr, 15 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 11.4h11.7h12.1h12.5h12.8h13.0h12.9h12.6h12.2h11.8h11.4h11.3h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:35 AM on June 3, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 0 minutes later at 6:35 AM on January 22. The earliest sunset is at 5:33 PM on November 20, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 7 minutes later at 6:40 PM on July 8.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Quetzaltenango during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Quetzaltenango

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 35:35 AMJun 35:35 AM6:40 PMJul 86:40 PMJul 8Nov 205:33 PMNov 205:33 PM6:35 AMJan 226:35 AMJan 22daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

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.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Quetzaltenango

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM0000101010102020202030303030404040405050505060606070708000001010101020202020303030304040404050505050606060707080805290NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The 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.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Quetzaltenango

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We 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.

The perceived humidity level in Quetzaltenango, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining a virtually constant 0% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Quetzaltenango

Humidity Comfort Levels in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Feb 100%Feb 100%Sep 210%Sep 210%NowNowhumidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d0.0d

This 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 Quetzaltenango does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 0.4 miles per hour of 3.6 miles per hour throughout.

Average Wind Speed in Quetzaltenango

Average Wind Speed in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph1 mph1 mph2 mph2 mph3 mph3 mph4 mph4 mph5 mph5 mph6 mph6 mph7 mph7 mphJan 134.0 mphJan 134.0 mphMay 133.2 mphMay 133.2 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 4.04.03.93.53.33.53.43.43.43.23.63.9

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Quetzaltenango varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 2.9 months, from April 14 to July 10 and for 2.5 months, from August 1 to October 15, with a peak percentage of 54% on June 8. The wind is most often from the east for 3.1 weeks, from July 10 to August 1, with a peak percentage of 37% on July 16. The wind is most often from the north for 6.0 months, from October 15 to April 14, with a peak percentage of 62% on January 1.

Wind Direction in Quetzaltenango

Wind Direction in QuetzaltenangoNSESNJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNowsoutheastnorthwest
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Quetzaltenango 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 does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 2°F of 85°F throughout.

Average Water Temperature in Quetzaltenango

Average Water Temperature in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec81°F81°F82°F82°F83°F83°F84°F84°F85°F85°F86°F86°F87°F87°F88°F88°F89°F89°FJul 2986°FJul 2986°F83°FFeb 283°FFeb 2May 586°FMay 586°FSep 686°FSep 686°FJan 484°FJan 484°FMar 1584°FMar 1584°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 83°F83°F84°F85°F86°F86°F86°F86°F85°F85°F85°F84°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Quetzaltenango 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 Quetzaltenango for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid February to late April, with a peak score in the last week of March.

Tourism Score in Quetzaltenango

Tourism Score in Quetzaltenangobest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810104.34.32.52.5NowNow cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The 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 Quetzaltenango for hot-weather activities is from mid March to late April, with a peak score in the first week of April.

Beach/Pool Score in Quetzaltenango

Beach/Pool Score in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810101.41.40.20.2NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitation
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For 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.

Definitions 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 Quetzaltenango 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.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Quetzaltenango

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Quetzaltenangogrowing seasonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%90%Jan 2090%Jan 20Jul 31100%Jul 31100%NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortable
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

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.

Growing Degree Days in Quetzaltenango

Growing Degree Days in QuetzaltenangoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F500°F500°F1,000°F1,000°F1,500°F1,500°F2,000°F2,000°F2,500°F2,500°FJan 1990°FJan 1990°FMay 10900°FMay 10900°FSep 91,800°FSep 91,800°FDec 312,473°FDec 312,473°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This 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 2.0 months, from February 13 to April 12, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Quetzaltenango is March, with an average of 6.7 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from August 22 to October 25, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Quetzaltenango is September, with an average of 4.4 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Quetzaltenango

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in QuetzaltenangobrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhMar 216.8 kWhMar 216.8 kWhSep 194.3 kWhSep 194.3 kWhFeb 136.3 kWhFeb 136.3 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 5.76.36.76.14.94.55.04.94.44.65.15.3

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Quetzaltenango are 14.835 deg latitude, -91.518 deg longitude, and 7,690 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Quetzaltenango contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,667 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 7,937 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (8,730 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (13,839 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Quetzaltenango is covered by grassland (66%) and trees (31%), within 10 miles by grassland (49%) and trees (34%), and within 50 miles by grassland (42%) and trees (37%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Quetzaltenango, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 4 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Quetzaltenango.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Quetzaltenango according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Quetzaltenango is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Quetzaltenango and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Quetzaltenango and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All 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.

Disclaimer

The 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.