Santa Cruz weather in January

In January, Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 172 mm of rain across 18.1 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Santa Cruz's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
22°
12th coldest
Rainfall
172 mm
18.1 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:53 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
75%
11th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Santa Cruz is city in eastern Bolivia.

Density
3,423/km²
people per km²
Founded
1561

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month.

A typical January day in Santa Cruz reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63022
73022
83022
93022
103022
113022
123022
133022
143022
153022
163022
173022
183022
193022
203122
213122
223122
233122
243122
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How January really feels in Santa Cruz

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Santa Cruz weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°17218.112.93.8
Feb30° / 22°13916.712.64.0
Mar30° / 22°11814.612.14.4
Apr29° / 20°6510.711.65.6
May26° / 18°6110.411.26.6
Jun24° / 17°538.9117.0
Jul25° / 16°446.1117.6
Aug28° / 18°445.311.47.1
Sep30° / 20°66711.95.5
Oct31° / 21°8510.512.44.5
Nov31° / 22°11813.112.84.2
Dec30° / 22°16517.8133.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 76%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
31981
41981
51981
62080
72080
82179
92179
102278
112278
122377
132377
142476
152476
162575
172674
182674
192773
202773
212872
222773
232773
242773
252773
262773
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz gets around 172 mm of rain over 18.1 wet days in January, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 59% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
161
261
361
462
562
662
762
862
961
1061
1160
1259
1359
1458
1557
1657
1756
1856
1955
2055
2155
2255
2356
2456
2556
2657
2758
2858
2959
3059
3160

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10314830
20314830
30314830
40314830
50314830
60315811
70415801
80415801
90416791
100416791
110416791
120416791
130517771
140517771
150517771
160517771
170518761
180518761
190518761
200518761
211518751
221517761
231417771
241417771
251416781
261416781
271416781
281316782
291316782
301316782
311316782

Wind in January

Winds average 13 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of January to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:446:47
213.05:456:48
313.05:466:48
413.05:466:48
513.05:476:49
613.05:476:49
713.05:486:49
813.05:486:49
913.05:496:50
1013.05:506:50
1113.05:506:50
1213.05:516:50
1313.05:516:50
1413.05:526:51
1513.05:536:51
1613.05:536:51
1712.95:546:51
1812.95:546:51
1912.95:556:51
2012.95:566:51
2112.95:566:51
2212.95:576:51
2312.95:576:51
2412.95:586:51
2512.95:596:51
2612.95:596:51
2712.86:006:51
2812.86:006:51
2912.86:016:50
3012.86:016:50
3112.86:026:50

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.78 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 5.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz

In seasonPeak

In January, Santa Cruz sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Santa Cruz's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Santa Cruz?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

3.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Santa Cruz.

What to pack for Santa Cruz in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Santa Cruz in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 at about 7 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jul 14UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Santa Cruz in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Santa Cruz is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.8× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateSep 1935 µg/m³May 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul11Good
Aug21Moderate
Sep37Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz sits at 17.8°S, 63.2°W, 433 m above sea level, in Bolivia. The nearest listed city is Cotoca, 14 km away.

Ascención de GuarayosMizqueCamiri

Topography around Santa Cruz

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Cruz.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 414 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,022 m.

The land around Santa Cruz is covered by artificial surfaces (89%) within 3 km, trees (36%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (47%), grassland (25%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
29 m
16 km
171 m
80 km
2,022 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Cotoca 14 km · Warnes 30 km · El Torno 32 km · Montero 50 km · Villa Yapacaní 81 km · Ascención de Guarayos 211 km · Mizque 229 km · Camiri 253 km

Bolivia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 40% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,148
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
21.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
Roman Catholic 65%Protestant 20%none 6%other 5%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Santa Cruz (-17.7863°, -63.1812°, elevation 433 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).