Climate and average weather in Esmeraldas
In Esmeraldas, the weather is muggy, warm, wet, and mostly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near warm levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around January.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Esmeraldas typically varies from 23°C to 28°C, and is rarely below 22°C or above 29°C. April is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Esmeraldas for warm-weather activities is from late May to late December.
- Hottest
- Apr
- 28°
- Coldest
- Aug
- 23°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 256 mm
- Driest
- Oct
- 62 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1682 mm
- 207 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.9–12.1 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 18 m
- 1.0°N
- Clearest
- Dec
- 76% cloud
Esmeraldas is city in Ecuador, capital of the Esmeraldas Province.
- Density
- 7,680/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1526
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Esmeraldas weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late May to late December.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Esmeraldas, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Esmeraldas stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is April, with an average high of 28°C and low of 24°C; the coolest is August, with an average low of 23°C and high of 27°C.
Days typically run about 3°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| Avg low (°C) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 24 |
| Feb | 27 | 24 |
| Mar | 28 | 24 |
| Apr | 28 | 24 |
| May | 28 | 24 |
| Jun | 27 | 24 |
| Jul | 27 | 23 |
| Aug | 27 | 23 |
| Sep | 27 | 23 |
| Oct | 27 | 23 |
| Nov | 27 | 23 |
| Dec | 27 | 24 |
Average hourly temperature in Esmeraldas
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on April afternoons, near 28°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 23°C.
Esmeraldas weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 24° | 256 | 24.2 | 12 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 27° / 24° | 241 | 22 | 12 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 28° / 24° | 203 | 21.4 | 12 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 28° / 24° | 204 | 20.3 | 12 | 4.6 |
| May | 28° / 24° | 149 | 20.2 | 12 | 4.7 |
| Jun | 27° / 24° | 109 | 16.4 | 12.1 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 27° / 23° | 98 | 16.2 | 12 | 5.3 |
| Aug | 27° / 23° | 76 | 14.4 | 12 | 5.6 |
| Sep | 27° / 23° | 67 | 13.3 | 12 | 5.6 |
| Oct | 27° / 23° | 62 | 11.8 | 12 | 5.8 |
| Nov | 27° / 23° | 76 | 10.8 | 12 | 6.0 |
| Dec | 27° / 24° | 138 | 16.2 | 11.9 | 5.4 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Esmeraldas gets about 1682 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.6 months, from around Dec 23 to Jun 9, peaking in February at about 85% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Oct 30.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 256 mm over about 24 wet days; October is the driest, with 62 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 77 | 79 | 68 | 67 | 65 | 55 | 52 | 46 | 43 | 39 | 36 | 52 |
| Rain days | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77 | 24 |
| Feb | 79 | 22 |
| Mar | 68 | 21 |
| Apr | 67 | 20 |
| May | 65 | 20 |
| Jun | 55 | 16 |
| Jul | 52 | 16 |
| Aug | 46 | 14 |
| Sep | 43 | 13 |
| Oct | 39 | 12 |
| Nov | 36 | 11 |
| Dec | 52 | 16 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Esmeraldas collects about 1682 mm of rain across 207 wet days — roughly 140 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 256 mm, while October is the driest at just 62 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 42% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 256 | 241 | 203 | 204 | 149 | 109 | 98 | 76 | 67 | 62 | 76 | 138 |
| Rain days | 24 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 256 | 24 |
| Feb | 241 | 22 |
| Mar | 203 | 21 |
| Apr | 204 | 20 |
| May | 149 | 20 |
| Jun | 109 | 16 |
| Jul | 98 | 16 |
| Aug | 76 | 14 |
| Sep | 67 | 13 |
| Oct | 62 | 12 |
| Nov | 76 | 11 |
| Dec | 138 | 16 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Esmeraldas, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around November 6 and lasts for 2.6 months, ending around January 23. The clearest month is December, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 22% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around August 7 and lasts for 3.0 months, ending around November 5. The cloudiest month is October, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 89% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 17 | 14 | 15 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 22 |
| Cloudier (%) | 83 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 89 | 87 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 84 | 78 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | 83 |
| Feb | 14 | 86 |
| Mar | 15 | 85 |
| Apr | 20 | 80 |
| May | 11 | 89 |
| Jun | 13 | 87 |
| Jul | 14 | 86 |
| Aug | 13 | 87 |
| Sep | 12 | 88 |
| Oct | 11 | 89 |
| Nov | 16 | 84 |
| Dec | 22 | 78 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. Close to the equator, Esmeraldas barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 06 min of light in every season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 11.9 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:29 | 6:34 | 6:28 | 6:18 | 6:14 | 6:17 | 6:23 | 6:22 | 6:13 | 6:04 | 6:05 | 6:16 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:26 | 6:32 | 6:28 | 6:19 | 6:16 | 6:21 | 6:26 | 6:24 | 6:13 | 6:03 | 6:03 | 6:13 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12.0 | 6:29 | 6:26 |
| Feb | 12.0 | 6:34 | 6:32 |
| Mar | 12.0 | 6:28 | 6:28 |
| Apr | 12.0 | 6:18 | 6:19 |
| May | 12.0 | 6:14 | 6:16 |
| Jun | 12.1 | 6:17 | 6:21 |
| Jul | 12.0 | 6:23 | 6:26 |
| Aug | 12.0 | 6:22 | 6:24 |
| Sep | 12.0 | 6:13 | 6:13 |
| Oct | 12.0 | 6:04 | 6:03 |
| Nov | 12.0 | 6:05 | 6:03 |
| Dec | 11.9 | 6:16 | 6:13 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Esmeraldas gets about 1 sunny days a month — gloomy — and it barely shifts through the year, holding between 0 and 2 days every month. Clear skies here are a flat line, not a season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 1 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 1 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 1 | Gloomy |
| May | 0 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 1 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 1 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 0 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 0 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 1 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 1 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 2 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
Esmeraldas is humid all year round — on a typical day the air feels at least humid, and there is no real dry season to wait for.
The stickiest month is January, when it feels muggy, oppressive or miserable about 100% of the time. Even in January, the mildest month, the air is dry or comfortable only 0% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muggy (%) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 34 | 38 | 35 | 36 | 19 |
| Oppressive (%) | 91 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 80 | 66 | 62 | 65 | 63 | 78 |
| Miserable (%) | 6 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 91 | 6 |
| Feb | 1 | 87 | 12 |
| Mar | 0 | 86 | 14 |
| Apr | 0 | 86 | 14 |
| May | 1 | 89 | 11 |
| Jun | 6 | 93 | 1 |
| Jul | 20 | 80 | 0 |
| Aug | 34 | 66 | 0 |
| Sep | 38 | 62 | 0 |
| Oct | 35 | 65 | 0 |
| Nov | 36 | 63 | 0 |
| Dec | 19 | 78 | 3 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Esmeraldas is typically light breeze, near 13 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 7.0 months, from around May 28 to Dec 27. The windiest month is September, averaging about 17 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Dec 28 to May 27, with March the calmest month at about 8 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 11 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | calm |
| Feb | 8 | calm |
| Mar | 8 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 12 | light breeze |
| Jun | 15 | light breeze |
| Jul | 16 | light breeze |
| Aug | 16 | light breeze |
| Sep | 17 | light breeze |
| Oct | 17 | light breeze |
| Nov | 16 | light breeze |
| Dec | 14 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Esmeraldas
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Esmeraldas's rainy season runs December–May, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Esmeraldas
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Esmeraldas throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early June, Esmeraldas is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Esmeraldas for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to late December, with a peak score in the last week of October.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.4 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | fair | good | good | good | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.3 | fair |
| Feb | 4.1 | fair |
| Mar | 4.5 | fair |
| Apr | 4.6 | fair |
| May | 4.7 | fair |
| Jun | 5.1 | fair |
| Jul | 5.3 | fair |
| Aug | 5.6 | good |
| Sep | 5.7 | good |
| Oct | 5.8 | good |
| Nov | 6.0 | good |
| Dec | 5.4 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Esmeraldas for hot-weather activities run from late March to mid April and again from mid May to late December, with a peak score in the first week of November.
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).
What to pack for Esmeraldas, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Esmeraldas packs about the same all year — highs hold near 28°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In April, Esmeraldas sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 20 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Esmeraldas
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 km away) is warmest in May at about 27°C and coldest in January near 26°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 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 27 | Warm |
| Jul | 27 | Warm |
| Aug | 27 | Warm |
| Sep | 27 | Warm |
| Oct | 27 | Warm |
| Nov | 26 | Warm |
| Dec | 26 | Warm |
UV index (midday) in Esmeraldas by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Esmeraldas peaks around March 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 19 at about 11 (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) | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Esmeraldas
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in March the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 8 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8 | 6.5 |
| May | 8 | 6 |
| Jun | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Jul | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 8 | 6 |
Air quality in Esmeraldas by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Esmeraldas is worst in March — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 9 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) | 12 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Good |
| Feb | 15 | Moderate |
| Mar | 18 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 10 | Good |
| Jul | 9 | Good |
| Aug | 10 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 16 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Growing season
Esmeraldas is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Esmeraldas banks about 5,602 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 477 | 439 | 491 | 478 | 492 | 463 | 466 | 461 | 445 | 466 | 452 | 472 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 477 |
| Feb | 439 |
| Mar | 491 |
| Apr | 478 |
| May | 492 |
| Jun | 463 |
| Jul | 466 |
| Aug | 461 |
| Sep | 445 |
| Oct | 466 |
| Nov | 452 |
| Dec | 472 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Esmeraldas receives about 4.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy — bright — and it stays remarkably steady, holding between 3.9 and 4.9 kWh/m² all year. For solar panels, output here is a flat line, not a seasonal wave.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Level | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.4 | Bright |
| Mar | 4.8 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.7 | Bright |
| May | 4.3 | Bright |
| Jun | 4.1 | Bright |
| Jul | 4.1 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.4 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.5 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.5 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.5 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.2 | Bright |
Where is Esmeraldas?
Esmeraldas sits at 1.0°N, 79.7°W, 18 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Rosa Zarate, 73 km away.
Topography around Esmeraldas
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Esmeraldas.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Esmeraldas has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 261 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 628 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 762 m.
The land around Esmeraldas is covered by trees (33%), artificial surfaces (24%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (44%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (42%) within 80 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 Esmeraldas (0.9592°, -79.654°, elevation 18 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).