Tulcán in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Tulcán sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 694 mm of rain over about 82 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 15°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Tulcán's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. Tulcán 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 Tulcán's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 7°C
- Rainfall
- 694 mm
- 82 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 2.6
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Tulcán in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 15°C.
A typical winter day in Tulcán reaches about 15°C and drops to 7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
Tulcán weather by month
How the three winter 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 | 15° / 7° | 220 | 27.5 | 12 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 15° / 7° | 205 | 24.9 | 12 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 15° / 7° | 251 | 29.4 | 12 | 2.4 |
| Apr | 15° / 7° | 258 | 29.2 | 12 | 2.3 |
| May | 14° / 7° | 200 | 29.8 | 12 | 2.3 |
| Jun | 14° / 6° | 160 | 27.4 | 12 | 2.2 |
| Jul | 13° / 6° | 147 | 27 | 12 | 2.2 |
| Aug | 14° / 6° | 94 | 22.7 | 12 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 15° / 6° | 109 | 21.9 | 12 | 2.9 |
| Oct | 15° / 7° | 230 | 27.4 | 12 | 2.7 |
| Nov | 15° / 7° | 290 | 28 | 12 | 2.5 |
| Dec | 15° / 7° | 269 | 29.1 | 12 | 2.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Tulcán gets around 694 mm of rain over 82 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 4 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
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 Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Tulcán?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tulcán.
What to pack for Tulcán in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Tulcán sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 7°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 82 days see rain.
UV index in Tulcán in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tulcán peaks around February 22 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 20 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 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Extreme |
| Feb | 18 | Extreme |
| Mar | 18 | Extreme |
| Apr | 16 | Extreme |
| May | 16 | Extreme |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 15 | Extreme |
| Oct | 15 | Extreme |
| Nov | 14 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Air quality in Tulcán in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Tulcán is worst in September — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (June, 10 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) | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 13 | Moderate |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 13 | Moderate |
| May | 11 | Good |
| Jun | 10 | Good |
| Jul | 10 | Good |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 19 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 12 | Good |
Where is Tulcán?
Tulcán sits at 0.8°N, 77.7°W, 2,962 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Ipiales, 9.0 km away.
Topography around Tulcán
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Tulcán.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Tulcán has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 208 m around an average of 2,927 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,116 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,525 m.
The land around Tulcán is covered by grassland (37%), artificial surfaces (23%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (48%) and trees (38%) within 16 km, and trees (74%) and grassland (23%) 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 Tulcán (0.8124°, -77.7171°, elevation 2,962 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.