Climate and average weather in Quetzaltenango
In Quetzaltenango, the weather is mild, wet, and mostly clear and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near mild levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around May.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Quetzaltenango typically varies from 13°C to 22°C, and is rarely below 11°C or above 24°C. March is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Quetzaltenango for warm-weather activities is from late November to mid March.
- Hottest
- Mar
- 22°
- Coldest
- Dec
- 13°
- Wettest
- May
- 550 mm
- Driest
- Jan
- 30 mm
- Rain / yr
- 3088 mm
- 279 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.1–12.9 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 2,351 m
- 14.8°N
- Clearest
- Jan
- 36% cloud
Quetzaltenango weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late November to mid March.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Quetzaltenango, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Quetzaltenango stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is March, with an average high of 22°C and low of 14°C; the coolest is December, with an average low of 13°C and high of 21°C.
Days typically run about 7°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Avg low (°C) | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 13 |
| Feb | 22 | 13 |
| Mar | 22 | 14 |
| Apr | 22 | 14 |
| May | 22 | 15 |
| Jun | 22 | 15 |
| Jul | 22 | 15 |
| Aug | 22 | 15 |
| Sep | 22 | 15 |
| Oct | 21 | 15 |
| Nov | 21 | 14 |
| Dec | 21 | 13 |
Average hourly temperature in Quetzaltenango
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on March afternoons, near 22°C, and coldest before dawn in December, near 13°C.
Quetzaltenango weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21° / 13° | 30 | 9.6 | 11.2 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 22° / 13° | 39 | 10.3 | 11.5 | 6.8 |
| Mar | 22° / 14° | 109 | 20.5 | 11.9 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 22° / 14° | 247 | 26.9 | 12.3 | 4.0 |
| May | 22° / 15° | 550 | 30.4 | 12.7 | 3.5 |
| Jun | 22° / 15° | 452 | 29.4 | 12.9 | 3.4 |
| Jul | 22° / 15° | 297 | 28.8 | 12.8 | 3.7 |
| Aug | 22° / 15° | 363 | 30.1 | 12.5 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 22° / 15° | 479 | 29.8 | 12.1 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 21° / 15° | 362 | 29.7 | 11.7 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 21° / 14° | 117 | 21.2 | 11.3 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 21° / 13° | 43 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 6.5 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Quetzaltenango gets about 3088 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 7.6 months, from around Mar 24 to Nov 10, peaking in September at about 99% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 8.
May is the wettest month by volume, with 550 mm over about 30 wet days; January is the driest, with 30 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 31 | 38 | 66 | 89 | 98 | 98 | 93 | 97 | 99 | 95 | 70 | 39 |
| Rain days | 10 | 10 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 21 | 12 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 10 |
| Feb | 38 | 10 |
| Mar | 66 | 21 |
| Apr | 89 | 27 |
| May | 98 | 30 |
| Jun | 98 | 29 |
| Jul | 93 | 29 |
| Aug | 97 | 30 |
| Sep | 99 | 30 |
| Oct | 95 | 30 |
| Nov | 70 | 21 |
| Dec | 39 | 12 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Quetzaltenango collects about 3088 mm of rain across 279 wet days — roughly 257 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. May is the wettest month with 550 mm, while January is the driest at just 30 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 48% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 30 | 39 | 109 | 247 | 550 | 452 | 297 | 363 | 479 | 362 | 117 | 43 |
| Rain days | 10 | 10 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 21 | 12 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 10 |
| Feb | 39 | 10 |
| Mar | 109 | 21 |
| Apr | 247 | 27 |
| May | 550 | 30 |
| Jun | 452 | 29 |
| Jul | 297 | 29 |
| Aug | 363 | 30 |
| Sep | 479 | 30 |
| Oct | 362 | 30 |
| Nov | 117 | 21 |
| Dec | 43 | 12 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Quetzaltenango, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around November 4 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around April 17. The clearest month is January, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 85% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 18 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around November 3. The cloudiest month is September, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 94% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 85 | 81 | 65 | 40 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 17 | 54 | 82 |
| Cloudier (%) | 15 | 19 | 35 | 60 | 88 | 94 | 87 | 88 | 94 | 83 | 46 | 18 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85 | 15 |
| Feb | 81 | 19 |
| Mar | 65 | 35 |
| Apr | 40 | 60 |
| May | 12 | 88 |
| Jun | 6 | 94 |
| Jul | 13 | 87 |
| Aug | 12 | 88 |
| Sep | 6 | 94 |
| Oct | 17 | 83 |
| Nov | 54 | 46 |
| Dec | 82 | 18 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 9, brings about 12 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 11 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 1 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.2 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 11.3 | 11.1 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:39 | 6:35 | 6:19 | 5:56 | 5:42 | 5:40 | 5:48 | 5:55 | 5:58 | 6:01 | 6:12 | 6:28 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:52 | 6:06 | 6:13 | 6:16 | 6:23 | 6:33 | 6:36 | 6:25 | 6:03 | 5:41 | 5:30 | 5:36 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.2 | 6:39 | 5:52 |
| Feb | 11.5 | 6:35 | 6:06 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:19 | 6:13 |
| Apr | 12.3 | 5:56 | 6:16 |
| May | 12.7 | 5:42 | 6:23 |
| Jun | 12.9 | 5:40 | 6:33 |
| Jul | 12.8 | 5:48 | 6:36 |
| Aug | 12.5 | 5:55 | 6:25 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 5:58 | 6:03 |
| Oct | 11.7 | 6:01 | 5:41 |
| Nov | 11.3 | 6:12 | 5:30 |
| Dec | 11.1 | 6:28 | 5:36 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Quetzaltenango averages about 7 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 0 and 19 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.7 months, from around Nov 6 to Mar 29. The sunniest month is January, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is September, down near 0 sunny days — about 100% fewer than the January peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 19 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 17 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Bright |
| Feb | 16 | Bright |
| Mar | 11 | Mixed |
| Apr | 4 | Gloomy |
| May | 1 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 1 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 1 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 1 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 0 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 2 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 9 | Mixed |
| Dec | 17 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Quetzaltenango, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 2.8 months, from around April 14 to July 8. The muggiest month is June, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 54% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around October 30 to April 13, and January is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 84 | 77 | 49 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 31 | 67 |
| Comfortable (%) | 16 | 23 | 46 | 58 | 42 | 45 | 74 | 66 | 49 | 58 | 60 | 32 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 56 | 54 | 23 | 31 | 50 | 38 | 9 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84 | 16 | 0 |
| Feb | 77 | 23 | 0 |
| Mar | 49 | 46 | 5 |
| Apr | 15 | 58 | 26 |
| May | 3 | 42 | 56 |
| Jun | 1 | 45 | 54 |
| Jul | 4 | 74 | 23 |
| Aug | 3 | 66 | 31 |
| Sep | 0 | 49 | 50 |
| Oct | 5 | 58 | 38 |
| Nov | 31 | 60 | 9 |
| Dec | 67 | 32 | 1 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Quetzaltenango is steady company: average speeds sit near 5 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | calm |
| Feb | 5 | calm |
| Mar | 5 | calm |
| Apr | 4 | calm |
| May | 4 | calm |
| Jun | 4 | calm |
| Jul | 4 | calm |
| Aug | 4 | calm |
| Sep | 4 | calm |
| Oct | 4 | calm |
| Nov | 5 | calm |
| Dec | 5 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Quetzaltenango
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Quetzaltenango's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Quetzaltenango
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Quetzaltenango throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early March, Quetzaltenango is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Quetzaltenango for general outdoor tourist activities is from late November to mid March, with a peak score in the second week of January.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 7.0 | 6.7 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 6.5 |
| Rating | good | good | fair | fair | poor | poor | fair | poor | poor | fair | fair | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.0 | good |
| Feb | 6.7 | good |
| Mar | 5.3 | fair |
| Apr | 4.0 | fair |
| May | 3.5 | poor |
| Jun | 3.4 | poor |
| Jul | 3.7 | fair |
| Aug | 3.5 | poor |
| Sep | 3.3 | poor |
| Oct | 3.5 | fair |
| Nov | 4.9 | fair |
| Dec | 6.5 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Quetzaltenango for hot-weather activities is from early December to mid March, with a peak score in the second week of February.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Quetzaltenango, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
Quetzaltenango packs about the same all year — highs hold near 22°C. Across the year the things worth having are rain gear and sun protection.
In March, Quetzaltenango sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Quetzaltenango by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Quetzaltenango peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 9 (very high).
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) | 9 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Very high |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Average hourly UV index in Quetzaltenango
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in April the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | 5 |
| Feb | 7.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| May | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Aug | 8 | 6 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 7 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 6.5 | 4.5 |
Air quality in Quetzaltenango by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Quetzaltenango 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 23 | 22 | 25 | 34 | 34 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | Moderate |
| Feb | 22 | Moderate |
| Mar | 25 | Moderate |
| Apr | 34 | Moderate |
| May | 34 | Moderate |
| Jun | 23 | Moderate |
| Jul | 23 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 23 | Moderate |
| Oct | 23 | Moderate |
| Nov | 23 | Moderate |
| Dec | 25 | Moderate |
Growing season
Quetzaltenango is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Quetzaltenango banks about 2,904 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 217 | 209 | 241 | 242 | 262 | 255 | 263 | 262 | 250 | 253 | 230 | 220 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 217 |
| Feb | 209 |
| Mar | 241 |
| Apr | 242 |
| May | 262 |
| Jun | 255 |
| Jul | 263 |
| Aug | 262 |
| Sep | 250 |
| Oct | 253 |
| Nov | 230 |
| Dec | 220 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Quetzaltenango receives about 5.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.4 and 6.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around Jan 23 to May 21. The brightest month is April, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is October, down near 4.4 kWh/m² — roughly 29% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 5.2 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.2 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.8 | Bright |
| Mar | 6.2 | Intense |
| Apr | 6.3 | Intense |
| May | 5.5 | Bright |
| Jun | 5.0 | Bright |
| Jul | 5.5 | Bright |
| Aug | 5.4 | Bright |
| Sep | 4.8 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.5 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.7 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.9 | Bright |
Where is Quetzaltenango?
Quetzaltenango sits at 14.8°N, 91.5°W, 2,351 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is La Esperanza, 5.0 km away.
What Quetzaltenango looks like
Topography around Quetzaltenango
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Quetzaltenango.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Quetzaltenango has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 355 m around an average of 2,391 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,559 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,178 m.
The land around Quetzaltenango is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) within 80 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
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 Quetzaltenango (14.8446°, -91.5232°, elevation 2,351 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. 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).