Santa Elena in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Santa Elena sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 88 mm of rain over about 21 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Santa Elena's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. Santa Elena 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 Santa Elena's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 21°C
- Rainfall
- 88 mm
- 21 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.9
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Santa Elena in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Santa Elena reaches about 26°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest August.
How winter really feels in Santa Elena
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Santa Elena weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 | 29° / 24° | 87 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 5.0 |
| Feb | 29° / 24° | 145 | 17 | 12.1 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 30° / 24° | 143 | 17.2 | 12 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 29° / 24° | 99 | 14.9 | 12 | 4.6 |
| May | 28° / 23° | 61 | 12.2 | 11.9 | 5.4 |
| Jun | 27° / 22° | 39 | 8.9 | 11.9 | 6.4 |
| Jul | 26° / 21° | 30 | 7.1 | 11.9 | 6.9 |
| Aug | 25° / 21° | 19 | 4.5 | 11.9 | 7.3 |
| Sep | 26° / 20° | 24 | 5.8 | 12 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 26° / 21° | 20 | 5 | 12 | 7.0 |
| Nov | 26° / 21° | 20 | 4.2 | 12.1 | 7.0 |
| Dec | 28° / 22° | 45 | 6.9 | 12.1 | 6.4 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santa Elena gets around 88 mm of rain over 21 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min in early June to 12 hours by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santa Elena
None of Santa Elena's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Santa Elena's rainy season runs January–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Santa Elena?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Santa Elena sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santa Elena in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 23°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | Warm |
| Feb | 26 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 25 | Warm |
| Jun | 24 | Warm |
| Jul | 23 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 23 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 23 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 24 | Warm |
UV index in Santa Elena in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 10 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 15 | Extreme |
| Mar | 15 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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 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.