Zacatecoluca weather in January

In January, Zacatecoluca sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.9 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 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% 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 Zacatecoluca's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zacatecoluca's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
4th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:26 AM – 5:43 PM
Cloud cover
27%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Zacatecoluca is city in El Salvador.

Density
123/km²
people per km²
Founded
1852

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 33°C through the month.

A typical January day in Zacatecoluca reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 34°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13220
23220
33220
43220
53220
63220
73220
83220
93320
103320
113320
123320
133320
143320
153320
163320
173320
183320
193320
203320
213320
223320
233320
243320
253320
263320
273320
283320
293320
303320
313320

How January really feels in Zacatecoluca

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.

Zacatecoluca 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
Jan33° / 20°30.911.34.8
Feb33° / 21°41.211.64.3
Mar34° / 22°154.411.93.8
Apr33° / 23°6413.712.33.2
May32° / 23°2962612.62.7
Jun31° / 23°3262612.82.8
Jul31° / 23°23021.412.73.1
Aug31° / 23°30325.312.42.9
Sep30° / 22°37328.212.12.8
Oct30° / 22°34025.211.73.3
Nov31° / 21°7510.511.44.7
Dec32° / 21°92.111.25.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38911
48911
58911
68911
78911
89010
99010
10919
11919
12919
13928
14928
15928
16928
17928
18937
19937
20928
21928
22928
23928
24928
25928
26937
27937
28937
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Zacatecoluca gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.9 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 3% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
35
44
54
64
74
84
94
104
114
123
133
143
153
163
173
183
192
202
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 40% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
121238434
221338434
331338433
431338423
531439423
631439413
741439412
841440402
941540392
1041540392
1141541382
1251641371
1351641371
1451641361
1551741361
1651741361
1751740361
1851840361
1951840361
2051839371
2151839371
2241839371
2341839371
2441740381
2541740381
2631641381
2731642381
2831542381
2931443381
3031444381
3131444381

Wind in January

Winds average 7 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
67calm
77calm
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 6:22 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:225:35
211.26:235:36
311.26:235:36
411.26:235:37
511.26:245:37
611.26:245:38
711.26:245:38
811.26:245:39
911.26:255:39
1011.26:255:40
1111.36:255:41
1211.36:255:41
1311.36:265:42
1411.36:265:42
1511.36:265:43
1611.36:265:43
1711.36:265:44
1811.36:275:44
1911.36:275:45
2011.36:275:45
2111.36:275:46
2211.36:275:46
2311.36:275:47
2411.36:275:47
2511.36:275:48
2611.46:275:48
2711.46:275:49
2811.46:275:49
2911.46:275:50
3011.46:275:50
3111.46:275:51

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.03 kWh/m² to a high of 6.51 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.59 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Zacatecoluca

In seasonPeak

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

Zacatecoluca sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Zacatecoluca'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 Zacatecoluca?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Zacatecoluca in January

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

In January, Zacatecoluca sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Zacatecoluca 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 31 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
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Zacatecoluca 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 Zacatecoluca peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 highApr 10UV 13Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Zacatecoluca 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 Zacatecoluca 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 Zacatecoluca?

Zacatecoluca sits at 13.5°N, 88.9°W, 220 m above sea level, in El Salvador. The nearest listed city is San Vicente, 17 km away.

San VicenteCojutepequeSan MartínIlopangoSoyapangoSan MarcosSan SalvadorDelgado

Topography around Zacatecoluca

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zacatecoluca has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 319 m around an average of 210 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,166 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,143 m.

The land around Zacatecoluca is covered by trees (55%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, trees (44%), grassland (33%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (42%), water (28%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
319 m
16 km
2,166 m
80 km
2,143 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: San Vicente 17 km · Cojutepeque 24 km · San Martín 31 km · Ilopango 34 km · Soyapango 37 km · San Marcos 38 km · San Salvador 40 km · Delgado 40 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 Zacatecoluca (13.5087°, -88.8702°, elevation 220 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).