Santa Elena weather in January

In January, Santa Elena sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 87 mm of rain across 12.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of January to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Santa Elena's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Elena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
24°
9th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
12.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:29 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
76%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Santa Elena is city in Ecuador, capital of the Santa Elena Province.

Density
2,040/km²
people per km²
Founded
1531

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Santa Elena reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12823
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
312924

How January really feels in Santa Elena

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 3 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
3
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Santa Elena weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°8712.312.15.0
Feb29° / 24°1451712.14.0
Mar30° / 24°14317.2124.1
Apr29° / 24°9914.9124.6
May28° / 23°6112.211.95.4
Jun27° / 22°398.911.96.4
Jul26° / 21°307.111.96.9
Aug25° / 21°194.511.97.3
Sep26° / 20°245.8127.0
Oct26° / 21°205127.0
Nov26° / 21°204.212.17.0
Dec28° / 22°456.912.16.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 79%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32773
42674
52575
62575
72575
82575
92476
102377
112278
122278
132179
142179
152179
162179
172179
182080
192080
201981
211981
221981
231981
241981
251882
261882
271882
281882
291783
301783
311783

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santa Elena gets around 87 mm of rain over 12.3 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 40% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
433
533
633
734
834
935
1035
1136
1236
1337
1437
1537
1638
1738
1839
1940
2041
2142
2243
2345
2446
2548
2649
2751
2852
2954
3055
3157

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
155423
253443
351463
449483
546513
644533
742553
840573
938593
1036613
1134633
1233643
1331663
1430673
1529683
1627703
1726713
1825723
1924733
2024733
2123743
2222753
2321763
2420773
2520764
2619774
2718784
2817794
2916804
3015805
3114815

Wind in January

Winds average 8 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 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 grow by about 0 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:23 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:236:30
212.16:236:31
312.16:246:31
412.16:246:32
512.16:256:32
612.16:256:33
712.16:266:33
812.16:266:33
912.16:266:34
1012.16:276:34
1112.16:276:34
1212.16:286:35
1312.16:286:35
1412.16:286:36
1512.16:296:36
1612.16:296:36
1712.16:306:37
1812.16:306:37
1912.16:306:37
2012.16:316:37
2112.16:316:38
2212.16:316:38
2312.16:326:38
2412.16:326:38
2512.16:326:39
2612.16:336:39
2712.16:336:39
2812.16:336:39
2912.16:336:39
3012.16:346:40
3112.16:346:40

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.43 kWh/m² to a high of 5.54 kWh/m² in November across the year — January's 4.85 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santa Elena

In seasonPeak

In January, Santa Elena sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Santa Elena's rainy season runs January–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Santa Elena?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Santa Elena for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Santa Elena in January

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

In January, Santa Elena sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Elena in January

The nearest coast averages about 25°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in March at about 26°C and coldest in August near 23°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr26Warm
May25Warm
Jun24Warm
Jul23Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Santa Elena in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Elena peaks around February 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 21UV 15Jul 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Elena?

Santa Elena sits at 2.2°S, 80.9°W, 43 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is La Libertad, 6.0 km away.

JipijapaEl Triunfo

Topography around Santa Elena

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Elena has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 86 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 847 m.

The land around Santa Elena is covered by grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, water (49%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
86 m
16 km
119 m
80 km
847 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: La Libertad 6.0 km · Salinas 10 km · Playas 69 km · Puerto López 74 km · Pedro Carbo 83 km · Posorja 87 km · Jipijapa 102 km · El Triunfo 104 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 Santa Elena (-2.2265°, -80.8581°, elevation 43 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).