San Rafael Oriente weather in January

In January, San Rafael Oriente sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in January, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is San Rafael Oriente's 1st-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Rafael Oriente's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:24 AM – 5:41 PM
Cloud cover
23%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month.

A typical January day in San Rafael Oriente reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13421
23421
33421
43421
53421
63421
73421
83421
93421
103421
113421
123421
133421
143421
153421
163421
173421
183421
193421
203421
213421
223421
233421
243421
253421
263421
273421
283421
293421
303421
313421

How January really feels in San Rafael Oriente

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 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
31
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.

San Rafael Oriente weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°10.411.34.1
Feb35° / 22°10.311.63.3
Mar36° / 23°92.111.92.8
Apr35° / 24°449.212.32.4
May33° / 24°25822.812.62.3
Jun32° / 23°29123.612.82.6
Jul33° / 23°19518.912.72.8
Aug33° / 23°27122.512.42.6
Sep31° / 23°34326.712.12.6
Oct31° / 22°3042411.73.1
Nov31° / 21°618.811.44.5
Dec33° / 21°61.311.24.6

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38911
48911
58911
68911
78911
89010
9919
10919
11919
12919
13919
14928
15928
16928
17928
18928
19928
20937
21937
22937
23937
24937
25937
26928
27928
28928
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

San Rafael Oriente gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.4 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 1% and peaks near 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
33
42
52
62
72
82
92
102
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the humid band about 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 19% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
131853242
231853242
331954231
442052231
542152221
642152221
752251211
852350211
952450201
1052450201
1162549191
1262649190
1362649180
1462749180
1562749170
1662750170
1762751160
1862850160
1962850160
2062851150
2162851150
2262851150
2362851150
2452852150
2552851160
2652851160
2752851160
2852851160
2942852160
3042951160
3142951160

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of January to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:20 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:205:33
211.26:205:34
311.26:215:34
411.26:215:35
511.26:215:35
611.26:225:36
711.26:225:37
811.26:225:37
911.36:225:38
1011.36:235:38
1111.36:235:39
1211.36:235:39
1311.36:235:40
1411.36:245:40
1511.36:245:41
1611.36:245:41
1711.36:245:42
1811.36:245:42
1911.36:245:43
2011.36:255:44
2111.36:255:44
2211.36:255:45
2311.36:255:45
2411.36:255:46
2511.46:255:46
2611.46:255:47
2711.46:255:47
2811.46:255:48
2911.46:255:48
3011.46:255:48
3111.46:255:49

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for San Rafael Oriente

In seasonPeak

None of San Rafael Oriente's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

San Rafael Oriente sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

San Rafael Oriente's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit San Rafael Oriente?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for San Rafael Oriente in January

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

In January, San Rafael Oriente sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near San Rafael Oriente in January

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 29 km away) is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in San Rafael Oriente in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 San Rafael Oriente peaks around March 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 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 highMar 20UV 13Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in San Rafael Oriente in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in San Rafael Oriente is worst in April — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (January, 13 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 2234 µg/m³Jan 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May32Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Rafael Oriente?

San Rafael Oriente sits at 13.4°N, 88.3°W, 212 m above sea level, in El Salvador. The nearest listed city is Usulután, 11 km away.

Santiago de MaríaSan MiguelPuerto El TriunfoSan Francisco GoteraLa UniónSan VicenteZacatecoluca

Topography around San Rafael Oriente

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Rafael Oriente has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 m around an average of 212 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,103 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,143 m.

The land around San Rafael Oriente is covered by trees (43%) and grassland (39%) within 3 km, trees (60%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and trees (41%), water (32%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
220 m
16 km
2,103 m
80 km
2,143 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Usulután 11 km · Santiago de María 17 km · San Miguel 21 km · Puerto El Triunfo 24 km · San Francisco Gotera 44 km · La Unión 55 km · San Vicente 55 km · Zacatecoluca 58 km

El Salvador travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
115 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,767
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
7.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
20.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 523
Religion
Roman Catholic 44%Protestant 40%none 16%

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 San Rafael Oriente (13.3833°, -88.35°, elevation 212 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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. 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).