Quito in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Quito sees average daytime highs around 17°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 820 mm of rain over about 87 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Quito's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Quito has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Quito's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 17°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 820 mm
- 87 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.8
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Quito in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C.
A typical summer day in Quito reaches about 17°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest December.
Quito weather by month
How the three summer 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 | 17° / 10° | 273 | 29.9 | 12 | 2.9 |
| Feb | 17° / 10° | 258 | 27.2 | 12 | 2.8 |
| Mar | 17° / 10° | 311 | 30.1 | 12 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 17° / 10° | 306 | 29.6 | 12 | 2.8 |
| May | 17° / 10° | 248 | 29.9 | 12 | 3.0 |
| Jun | 18° / 10° | 149 | 26 | 12 | 3.4 |
| Jul | 18° / 10° | 109 | 24.7 | 12 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 18° / 10° | 112 | 25.1 | 12 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 18° / 10° | 199 | 28.5 | 12 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 17° / 10° | 264 | 29.7 | 12 | 3.0 |
| Nov | 17° / 10° | 282 | 28 | 12 | 2.9 |
| Dec | 17° / 10° | 289 | 30 | 12 | 2.8 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Quito gets around 820 mm of rain over 87 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 4 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 12 hours in early December to 12 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 4.2 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Quito?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Quito.
What to pack for Quito in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Quito sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 87 days see rain.
UV index in Quito in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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 Quito peaks around March 10 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Extreme |
| Feb | 19 | Extreme |
| Mar | 19 | Extreme |
| Apr | 16 | Extreme |
| May | 16 | Extreme |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 15 | Extreme |
| Oct | 16 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 15 | Extreme |
Air quality in Quito in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Quito is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Quito's WHO annual average of 19.8 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Moderate |
| Feb | 20 | Moderate |
| Mar | 21 | Moderate |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 20 | Moderate |
| Jun | 18 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 23 | Moderate |
| Oct | 20 | Moderate |
| Nov | 20 | Moderate |
| Dec | 20 | Moderate |
Where is Quito?
Quito sits at 0.2°S, 78.5°W, 2,854 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Pomasqui, 21 km away.
Topography around Quito
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Quito.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Quito has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 850 m around an average of 2,983 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,658 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,644 m.
The land around Quito is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (38%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and grassland (30%) 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 Quito (-0.2298°, -78.525°, elevation 2,854 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.