Kourou in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Kourou sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 671 mm of rain over about 75 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Kourou's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. Kourou 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 Kourou's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°C
- Rainfall
- 671 mm
- 75 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.0
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Kourou in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical winter day in Kourou reaches about 28°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Kourou
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 2 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Kourou 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 | 27° / 24° | 236 | 26 | 11.7 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 27° / 24° | 191 | 22.5 | 11.8 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 28° / 25° | 165 | 23.8 | 12 | 4.3 |
| Apr | 28° / 25° | 236 | 25.3 | 12.1 | 4.0 |
| May | 28° / 25° | 392 | 28.9 | 12.2 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 28° / 24° | 346 | 28.7 | 12.3 | 3.4 |
| Jul | 29° / 24° | 204 | 26 | 12.3 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 29° / 25° | 90 | 16.8 | 12.2 | 4.8 |
| Sep | 29° / 25° | 40 | 10 | 12 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 30° / 25° | 49 | 12 | 11.9 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 29° / 25° | 128 | 20.4 | 11.8 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 28° / 24° | 244 | 26.9 | 11.7 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Kourou gets around 671 mm of rain over 75 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 17 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 54 min 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 4.6 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Kourou
In winter, Kourou overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Kourou's rainy season runs April–July, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Kourou?
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 Kourou for sightseeing.
What to pack for Kourou in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Kourou sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 75 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kourou in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°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 July at about 28°C and coldest in January near 27°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) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Warm |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 28 | Tropical |
| Sep | 28 | Tropical |
| Oct | 28 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Warm |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in Kourou in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kourou peaks around April 11 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 at about 10 (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) | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Extreme |
Air quality in Kourou 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 Kourou is worst in February — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.0× the cleanest month (August, 7 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) | 26 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 21 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Moderate |
| Feb | 28 | Moderate |
| Mar | 26 | Moderate |
| Apr | 26 | Moderate |
| May | 21 | Moderate |
| Jun | 12 | Moderate |
| Jul | 8 | Good |
| Aug | 7 | Good |
| Sep | 8 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 12 | Good |
| Dec | 21 | Moderate |
Where is Kourou?
Kourou sits at 5.2°N, 52.6°W, 7 m above sea level, in French Guiana. The nearest listed city is Cayenne, 42 km away.
Topography around Kourou
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kourou.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Kourou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 165 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m.
The land around Kourou is covered by water (45%) within 3 km, water (47%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and water (37%) within 80 km.
French Guiana travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / E
- 220 V · 50 Hz
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 Kourou (5.1628°, -52.6427°, elevation 7 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.