Panajachel weather in January

In January, Panajachel sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 13 mm of rain across 3.3 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of January to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Panajachel's 1st-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Panajachel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
9th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
13 mm
3.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:37 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
37%
1st clearest
Wind
7 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Panajachel is town in Guatemala.

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 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Panajachel reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12112
22112
32112
42112
52112
62112
72112
82112
92112
102112
112112
122112
132112
142112
152112
162112
172112
182112
192112
202112
212112
222112
232112
242112
252112
262112
272112
282112
292112
302112
312112

Panajachel weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 12°133.311.27.8
Feb22° / 12°214.911.57.7
Mar22° / 13°6411.811.96.7
Apr22° / 14°15618.112.35.3
May22° / 14°36525.712.74.1
Jun21° / 15°37625.912.93.9
Jul21° / 14°20519.512.84.8
Aug21° / 14°2642212.54.5
Sep21° / 14°38927.412.13.6
Oct21° / 14°27423.311.74.3
Nov21° / 13°6110.211.36.4
Dec20° / 12°214.511.17.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
48020
58119
68119
78218
88218
98218
108317
118317
128416
138416
148416
158515
168515
178515
188614
198614
208614
218614
228614
238614
248515
258515
268515
278416
288416
298416
308317
318416

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Panajachel gets around 13 mm of rain over 3.3 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 11% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
212
312
411
511
611
710
810
99
109
119
129
139
149
159
169
1710
1810
1910
2011
2111
2212
2312
2412
2513
2613
2713
2813
2913
3013
3113

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3964
4964
5964
6973
7973
8973
9973
10973
11973
12982
13982
14982
15982
16973
17973
18973
19973
20973
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27946
28946
29946
30946
31946

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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of January to 11 h 18 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 6:34 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:345:42
211.16:345:43
311.16:345:43
411.26:355:44
511.26:355:44
611.26:355:45
711.26:365:45
811.26:365:46
911.26:365:46
1011.26:365:47
1111.26:375:48
1211.26:375:48
1311.26:375:49
1411.26:375:49
1511.26:375:50
1611.26:375:50
1711.26:385:51
1811.26:385:51
1911.26:385:52
2011.26:385:53
2111.36:385:53
2211.36:385:54
2311.36:385:54
2411.36:385:55
2511.36:385:55
2611.36:385:56
2711.36:385:56
2811.36:385:57
2911.36:385:57
3011.36:385:58
3111.36:385:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.25 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Panajachel

In seasonPeak

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

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

Panajachel's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is January a good time to visit Panajachel?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Panajachel for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Panajachel in January

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

In January, Panajachel sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Panajachel 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 Panajachel peaks around April 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 10 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highApr 14UV 15Dec 14UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul14Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Panajachel 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 Panajachel is worst in May — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMay 934 µg/m³Aug 1622 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov23Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Panajachel?

Panajachel sits at 14.7°N, 91.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Sololá, 4.0 km away.

PatzicíaChicacao

Topography around Panajachel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Panajachel has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 694 m around an average of 1,737 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,121 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,932 m.

The land around Panajachel is covered by trees (44%) and water (36%) within 3 km, trees (64%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
694 m
16 km
2,121 m
80 km
3,932 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Sololá 4.0 km · Santiago Atitlán 14 km · Patzún 17 km · Tecpán Guatemala 18 km · Nahualá 21 km · Chichicastenango 23 km · Patzicía 28 km · Chicacao 29 km

Guatemala travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 43% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
23.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
22.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 510
Religion
Evangelical 46%Roman Catholic 42%none 11%

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 Panajachel (14.7418°, -91.1568°, elevation 0 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). 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).