Cuenca weather in January

In January, Cuenca sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 146 mm of rain across 22.9 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Cuenca's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cuenca's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 15°; 3rd warmest
Overnight low: 8°; 11th coldest
Rainfall: 146 mm; 22.9 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 12 min; 6:21 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover: 83%; 6th clearest
Wind: 7 km/h; 8th windiest
Solar energy: 4.49 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.1; out of 10

Cuenca is human settlement.

Air quality: Moderate; PM2.5 10.8 µg/m³ · 2017
Founded: 1450

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

← December Cuenca year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month.

A typical January day in Cuenca reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15
Avg low (°C)	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	8
8	15	8
9	15	8
10	15	8
11	15	8
12	15	8
13	15	8
14	15	8
15	15	8
16	15	8
17	15	8
18	15	8
19	15	8
20	15	8
21	15	8
22	15	8
23	15	8
24	15	8
25	15	8
26	15	8
27	15	8
28	15	8
29	15	8
30	15	8
31	15	8

Cuenca weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	15° / 8°	146	22.9	12.1	3.1
Feb	15° / 8°	172	23.3	12.1	2.8
Mar	15° / 8°	183	27.3	12	2.6
Apr	15° / 7°	155	26.6	11.9	2.6
May	14° / 7°	100	22	11.9	2.9
Jun	13° / 6°	78	18.6	11.8	2.8
Jul	12° / 5°	74	17.7	11.8	2.6
Aug	13° / 5°	54	13.6	11.9	3.0
Sep	14° / 6°	62	15.3	12	3.4
Oct	15° / 7°	127	21.8	12.1	3.1
Nov	15° / 7°	174	23.3	12.1	2.9
Dec	15° / 8°	172	24.5	12.2	2.9

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	8	8	8	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	6	6	6	5	5	5	5	5
Cloudier (%)	92	92	92	91	91	91	92	92	92	92	92	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	93	94	94	94	95	95	95	95	95

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	7	93
13	7	93
14	7	93
15	7	93
16	7	93
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	7	93
20	7	93
21	7	93
22	7	93
23	7	93
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Cuenca gets around 146 mm of rain over 22.9 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 74% and peaks near 76% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	75	75	75	74	74	74	73	73	73	72	72	72	72	72	72	73	73	73

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	75
15	75
16	75
17	74
18	74
19	74
20	73
21	73
22	73
23	72
24	72
25	72
26	72
27	72
28	72
29	73
30	73
31	73

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in January

Winds average 7 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	7	calm
2	7	calm
3	7	calm
4	7	calm
5	7	calm
6	7	calm
7	7	calm
8	7	calm
9	7	calm
10	7	calm
11	7	calm
12	7	calm
13	7	calm
14	7	calm
15	7	calm
16	7	calm
17	7	calm
18	7	calm
19	7	calm
20	7	calm
21	7	calm
22	7	calm
23	7	calm
24	7	calm
25	7	calm
26	7	calm
27	7	calm
28	7	calm
29	7	calm
30	7	calm
31	7	calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:33 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1
Sunrise (AM)	6:14	6:15	6:15	6:16	6:16	6:17	6:17	6:17	6:18	6:18	6:19	6:19	6:20	6:20	6:20	6:21	6:21	6:22	6:22	6:22	6:23	6:23	6:23	6:24	6:24	6:24	6:24	6:25	6:25	6:25	6:26
Sunset (PM)	6:24	6:25	6:25	6:25	6:26	6:26	6:27	6:27	6:27	6:28	6:28	6:28	6:29	6:29	6:29	6:30	6:30	6:30	6:31	6:31	6:31	6:31	6:32	6:32	6:32	6:32	6:33	6:33	6:33	6:33	6:33

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.2	6:14	6:24
2	12.2	6:15	6:25
3	12.2	6:15	6:25
4	12.2	6:16	6:25
5	12.2	6:16	6:26
6	12.2	6:17	6:26
7	12.2	6:17	6:27
8	12.2	6:17	6:27
9	12.2	6:18	6:27
10	12.2	6:18	6:28
11	12.2	6:19	6:28
12	12.2	6:19	6:28
13	12.2	6:20	6:29
14	12.2	6:20	6:29
15	12.2	6:20	6:29
16	12.2	6:21	6:30
17	12.1	6:21	6:30
18	12.1	6:22	6:30
19	12.1	6:22	6:31
20	12.1	6:22	6:31
21	12.1	6:23	6:31
22	12.1	6:23	6:31
23	12.1	6:23	6:32
24	12.1	6:24	6:32
25	12.1	6:24	6:32
26	12.1	6:24	6:32
27	12.1	6:24	6:33
28	12.1	6:25	6:33
29	12.1	6:25	6:33
30	12.1	6:25	6:33
31	12.1	6:26	6:33

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.83 kWh/m² to a high of 5.02 kWh/m² in September across the year — January's 4.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.5	Bright
2	4.5	Bright
3	4.5	Bright
4	4.5	Bright
5	4.5	Bright
6	4.5	Bright
7	4.5	Bright
8	4.5	Bright
9	4.5	Bright
10	4.5	Bright
11	4.5	Bright
12	4.5	Bright
13	4.5	Bright
14	4.5	Bright
15	4.5	Bright
16	4.5	Bright
17	4.5	Bright
18	4.5	Bright
19	4.5	Bright
20	4.5	Bright
21	4.5	Bright
22	4.5	Bright
23	4.5	Bright
24	4.5	Bright
25	4.5	Bright
26	4.5	Bright
27	4.5	Bright
28	4.5	Bright
29	4.5	Bright
30	4.5	Bright
31	4.5	Bright

Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Cuenca?

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

3.1

Sightseeing

2nd-best month of the year

—

Beach & pool

never really warm enough

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cuenca.

What to pack for Cuenca in January

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

In January, Cuenca sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 23 days see rain.

rain geara warm layer

UV index in Cuenca in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 17 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cuenca peaks around February 19 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 12 at about 13 (extreme).

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)	17	18	18	15	15	13	13	13	15	16	15	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	17	Extreme
Feb	18	Extreme
Mar	18	Extreme
Apr	15	Extreme
May	15	Extreme
Jun	13	Extreme
Jul	13	Extreme
Aug	13	Extreme
Sep	15	Extreme
Oct	16	Extreme
Nov	15	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Cuenca?

Cuenca sits at 2.9°S, 79.0°W, 2,484 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Azogues, 24 km away.

Topography around Cuenca

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cuenca has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 266 m around an average of 2,550 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,669 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,615 m.

The land around Cuenca is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and grassland (44%) within 80 km.

3 km

266 m

artificial surfaces 74%

16 km

1,669 m

grassland 49%

80 km

4,615 m

trees 50%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces

← December Cuenca year-round climate February →Best places to visit in January

January weather nearby: Azogues 24 km · Gualaceo 24 km · La Troncal 65 km · Naranjal 73 km · Naranjito 96 km · Guabo 100 km · Pasaje 102 km · Milagro 108 km

Ecuador travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 2; Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs: Type A / B; 120 V · 60 Hz
Prices: ≈ 43% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $7,125; 2025
Happiness: 6.1 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 70%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 45.7; per 100k, 2023
Road deaths: 20.1; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Upper middle; World Bank
English: Low; EF EPI 466
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 Cuenca (-2.8953°, -78.9963°, elevation 2,484 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	8
8	15	8
9	15	8
10	15	8
11	15	8
12	15	8
13	15	8
14	15	8
15	15	8
16	15	8
17	15	8
18	15	8
19	15	8
20	15	8
21	15	8
22	15	8
23	15	8
24	15	8
25	15	8
26	15	8
27	15	8
28	15	8
29	15	8
30	15	8
31	15	8

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	7	93
13	7	93
14	7	93
15	7	93
16	7	93
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	7	93
20	7	93
21	7	93
22	7	93
23	7	93
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	75
15	75
16	75
17	74
18	74
19	74
20	73
21	73
22	73
23	72
24	72
25	72
26	72
27	72
28	72
29	73
30	73
31	73

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	8
8	15	8
9	15	8
10	15	8
11	15	8
12	15	8
13	15	8
14	15	8
15	15	8
16	15	8
17	15	8
18	15	8
19	15	8
20	15	8
21	15	8
22	15	8
23	15	8
24	15	8
25	15	8
26	15	8
27	15	8
28	15	8
29	15	8
30	15	8
31	15	8

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	7	93
13	7	93
14	7	93
15	7	93
16	7	93
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	7	93
20	7	93
21	7	93
22	7	93
23	7	93
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	75
15	75
16	75
17	74
18	74
19	74
20	73
21	73
22	73
23	72
24	72
25	72
26	72
27	72
28	72
29	73
30	73
31	73

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	8
2	15	8
3	15	8
4	15	8
5	15	8
6	15	8
7	15	8
8	15	8
9	15	8
10	15	8
11	15	8
12	15	8
13	15	8
14	15	8
15	15	8
16	15	8
17	15	8
18	15	8
19	15	8
20	15	8
21	15	8
22	15	8
23	15	8
24	15	8
25	15	8
26	15	8
27	15	8
28	15	8
29	15	8
30	15	8
31	15	8

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	8	92
2	8	92
3	8	92
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	8	92
8	8	92
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	8	92
12	7	93
13	7	93
14	7	93
15	7	93
16	7	93
17	7	93
18	7	93
19	7	93
20	7	93
21	7	93
22	7	93
23	7	93
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	5	95
28	5	95
29	5	95
30	5	95
31	5	95

	Rain chance (%)
1	76
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	75
15	75
16	75
17	74
18	74
19	74
20	73
21	73
22	73
23	72
24	72
25	72
26	72
27	72
28	72
29	73
30	73
31	73

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100