Climate and average weather in Guaranda

In Guaranda, the weather is mild, wet, and mostly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near mild levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around March.

Best: mid June to early September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Guaranda typically varies from 7°C to 17°C, and is rarely below 5°C or above 19°C. April is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Guaranda for warm-weather activities is from mid June to early September.

Hottest
Apr
17°
Coldest
Jul
Wettest
Mar
605 mm
Driest
Jul
126 mm
Rain / yr
4304 mm
332 wet days
Daylight
11.9–12.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
2,806 m
1.6°S
Clearest
Jul
69% cloud

Guaranda is city in Ecuador, capital of the Bolívar Province.

Density
110/km²
people per km²
Founded
1571

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

Guaranda 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 mid June to early September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Guaranda, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

Temperatures in Guaranda stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is April, with an average high of 17°C and low of 9°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 8°C and high of 16°C.

Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights year-round.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan169
Feb169
Mar179
Apr179
May169
Jun168
Jul168
Aug167
Sep167
Oct168
Nov168
Dec169

Average hourly temperature in Guaranda

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 17°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Guaranda weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 45630.612.12.6
Feb16° / 49027.812.12.6
Mar17° / 60530.9122.6
Apr17° / 54529.7122.7
May16° / 36829.811.92.8
Jun16° / 1692411.93.2
Jul16° / 12620.911.93.6
Aug16° / 15521.811.93.5
Sep16° / 29227.7122.8
Oct16° / 34029.8122.6
Nov16° / 34528.412.12.6
Dec16° / 41530.312.12.6

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Guaranda gets about 4304 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 8.6 months, from around Sep 13 to May 31, peaking in March at about 100% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 28.

March is the wettest month by volume, with 605 mm over about 31 wet days; July is the driest, with 126 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%110%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetMar 25 · 100%Jul 28 · 62%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan9931
Feb9928
Mar10031
Apr9930
May9630
Jun8124
Jul6621
Aug7222
Sep9228
Oct9630
Nov9528
Dec9830

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Guaranda collects about 4304 mm of rain across 332 wet days — roughly 359 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. March is the wettest month with 605 mm, while July is the driest at just 126 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 38% of the year’s total.

050100150200250300350400450500550600650700JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec456490605545368169126155292340345415
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan45631
Feb49028
Mar60531
Apr54530
May36830
Jun16924
Jul12621
Aug15522
Sep29228
Oct34030
Nov34528
Dec41530

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Guaranda, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around June 4 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around September 18. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 30% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 19 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around June 3. The cloudiest month is March, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 100% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 2 · 38%Mar 14 · 0%mostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan397
Feb199
Mar0100
Apr199
May595
Jun1882
Jul3070
Aug3070
Sep1288
Oct397
Nov199
Dec397

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

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, Guaranda barely changes through the year: days stay near 12 h 06 min of light in every season.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan12.16:236:28
Feb12.16:296:32
Mar12.06:256:26
Apr12.06:176:15
May11.96:146:10
Jun11.96:196:13
Jul11.96:246:19
Aug11.96:226:19
Sep12.06:116:10
Oct12.06:006:02
Nov12.15:596:03
Dec12.16:096:15

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Guaranda averages about 1 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 3 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 3.1 months, from around Jun 6 to Sep 7. The sunniest month is August, with roughly 2 sunny days (gloomy).

The greyest month is January, down near 0 sunny days — about 96% fewer than the August peak.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedAug 23 daysJan 10 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan0Gloomy
Feb0Gloomy
Mar0Gloomy
Apr0Gloomy
May0Gloomy
Jun2Gloomy
Jul3Gloomy
Aug2Gloomy
Sep0Gloomy
Oct0Gloomy
Nov0Gloomy
Dec0Gloomy

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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.

In Guaranda, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 0% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdry
Dry (%)
Jan100
Feb100
Mar100
Apr100
May100
Jun100
Jul100
Aug100
Sep100
Oct100
Nov100
Dec100

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.

Wind in Guaranda is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

0510JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmAug 6 · 5 km/hFeb 7 · 4 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan4calm
Feb4calm
Mar4calm
Apr4calm
May4calm
Jun5calm
Jul5calm
Aug5calm
Sep5calm
Oct5calm
Nov4calm
Dec4calm

Best time to visit Guaranda

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Guaranda throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid June, Guaranda 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 Guaranda for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid June to early September, with a peak score in the last week of July.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJul 31 · 3.8

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).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan2.6poor
Feb2.6poor
Mar2.6poor
Apr2.7poor
May2.8poor
Jun3.2poor
Jul3.6fair
Aug3.5poor
Sep2.8poor
Oct2.6poor
Nov2.6poor
Dec2.6poor

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Guaranda rarely gets warm enough to lift this score — no time of year really suits hot-weather activities here.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDectemperaturecloudsprecipitation

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 Guaranda, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

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.

Guaranda packs about the same all year — highs hold near 17°C. Across the year the things worth having are a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In April, Guaranda sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 30 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Guaranda by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Guaranda peaks around February 19 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 15 at about 13 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 19Jul 15UV 13
UV index (midday)Level
Jan18Extreme
Feb19Extreme
Mar19Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May15Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Guaranda

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan8.57
Feb97.5
Mar8.57
Apr8.57
May8.56.5
Jun86.5
Jul86
Aug86.5
Sep8.56.5
Oct8.57
Nov8.56.5
Dec8.56.5

Air quality in Guaranda by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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 Guaranda is worst in September — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1921 µg/m³Jul 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Guaranda is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

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. Guaranda banks about 758 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around April.

0200400600800JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan70
Feb70
Mar84
Apr83
May79
Jun57
Jul46
Aug40
Sep43
Oct57
Nov61
Dec69

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.

Guaranda receives about 4.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy — bright — and it stays remarkably steady, holding between 4.3 and 5.2 kWh/m² all year. For solar panels, output here is a flat line, not a seasonal wave.

0123456JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmoderatebrightSep 125.2 kWhMay 304.3 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan4.5Bright
Feb4.6Bright
Mar4.5Bright
Apr4.5Bright
May4.3Bright
Jun4.3Bright
Jul4.5Bright
Aug5.0Bright
Sep5.2Bright
Oct4.9Bright
Nov4.8Bright
Dec4.6Bright

Where is Guaranda?

Guaranda sits at 1.6°S, 79.0°W, 2,806 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Riobamba, 39 km away.

Topography around Guaranda

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Guaranda has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 649 m around an average of 2,767 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,235 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,245 m.

The land around Guaranda is covered by grassland (33%), cropland (30%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (38%), cropland (31%) and trees (26%) within 16 km, and trees (41%) and grassland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
649 m
16 km
3,235 m
80 km
6,245 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
Nearby: Riobamba 39 km · Montalvo 39 km · Guamote 50 km · Ventanas 54 km · Ambato 57 km · Pelileo 58 km · Babahoyo 63 km · Banos 68 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
Roman Catholic 68%Protestant 19%none 8%other 2%

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 Guaranda (-1.5911°, -78.999°, elevation 2,806 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).