Matanzas in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Matanzas sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 76 mm of rain over about 14 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Matanzas's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Matanzas's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 76 mm
- 14 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Matanzas in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Matanzas reaches about 26°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Matanzas
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Matanzas weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25° / 20° | 29 | 5.3 | 10.7 | 7.8 |
| Feb | 26° / 20° | 22 | 3.7 | 11.2 | 8.0 |
| Mar | 27° / 20° | 21 | 4.2 | 11.8 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 29° / 22° | 34 | 5.5 | 12.5 | 6.6 |
| May | 29° / 23° | 98 | 12.7 | 13.1 | 5.2 |
| Jun | 30° / 25° | 138 | 18.6 | 13.4 | 3.9 |
| Jul | 31° / 25° | 90 | 17.5 | 13.3 | 3.9 |
| Aug | 31° / 25° | 113 | 19.2 | 12.8 | 3.7 |
| Sep | 30° / 25° | 135 | 21.3 | 12.1 | 3.6 |
| Oct | 29° / 24° | 105 | 16.8 | 11.5 | 4.9 |
| Nov | 27° / 22° | 43 | 7.8 | 10.9 | 7.1 |
| Dec | 26° / 21° | 24 | 5.1 | 10.6 | 7.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Matanzas gets around 76 mm of rain over 14 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 16 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 30 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Matanzas
None of Matanzas's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Matanzas sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Matanzas's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Matanzas?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Matanzas for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Matanzas in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Matanzas sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 20°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Matanzas in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 29°C and coldest in February near 25°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 25 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 26 | Warm |
UV index in Matanzas in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Matanzas peaks around June 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 6 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | High |
| Feb | 8 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 9 | Very high |
| Nov | 6 | High |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Matanzas in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Matanzas is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Where is Matanzas?
Matanzas sits at 23.0°N, 81.6°W, 1 m above sea level, in Cuba. The nearest listed city is Limonar, 20 km away.
Topography around Matanzas
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Matanzas.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Matanzas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 161 m around an average of 34 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 363 m.
The land around Matanzas is covered by trees (29%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, trees (51%), grassland (23%) and water (21%) within 16 km, and water (41%) and trees (25%) within 80 km.
Cuba travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C / L
- 110 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 39% of US
- price level, 2011
- GDP per capita
- $9,605
- 2020
- Happiness
- 5.4 / 10
- World Happiness, 2011
- Homicide rate
- 4.5
- per 100k, 2019
- Road deaths
- 8.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 515
- Religion
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 Matanzas (23.0439°, -81.5828°, elevation 1 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.