Retalhuleu weather in January

In January, Retalhuleu sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 18 mm of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Retalhuleu's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Retalhuleu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
5th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
4.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:39 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
29%
1st clearest
Wind
5 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical January day in Retalhuleu reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13121
23121
33121
43121
53121
63121
73121
83121
93121
103121
113121
123121
133121
143121
153121
163121
173121
183121
193121
203121
213121
223121
233122
243122
253122
263122
273122
283222
293222
303222
313222

How January really feels in Retalhuleu

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.

Retalhuleu weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 21°184.911.25.3
Feb32° / 22°153.811.54.8
Mar33° / 23°368.511.94.0
Apr33° / 23°9414.412.33.2
May32° / 24°3512712.72.6
Jun30° / 23°37428.412.82.6
Jul31° / 23°2872712.82.8
Aug30° / 23°36128.612.52.7
Sep30° / 23°45629.212.12.6
Oct30° / 23°38427.711.73.0
Nov30° / 23°11615.511.34.4
Dec31° / 22°276.111.25.4

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 76% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 10%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
48911
58911
68812
78911
89010
99010
109010
119010
129010
13919
14919
15919
16919
179010
18919
19919
20919
21919
22919
23919
24919
25919
26919
27919
28919
29919
30919
31919

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Retalhuleu gets around 18 mm of rain over 4.9 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
418
518
617
717
817
917
1017
1117
1216
1316
1416
1515
1615
1715
1815
1915
2015
2115
2215
2315
2414
2514
2614
2714
2814
2913
3013
3113

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 70% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 81% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
12136817
22136817
32136817
42146816
52146816
62146915
72156815
82156914
92156914
102166913
112166913
122167012
132177011
142177011
151177210
161177210
17118729
18118729
19118729
20118729
21119719
22119719
23020719
24020719
25021709
26022699
27022708
28123688
29123697
30124687
31124687

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:35 AM to 6:39 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:355:44
211.26:365:45
311.26:365:46
411.26:365:46
511.26:375:47
611.26:375:47
711.26:375:48
811.26:385:48
911.26:385:49
1011.26:385:49
1111.26:385:50
1211.26:385:51
1311.26:395:51
1411.26:395:52
1511.26:395:52
1611.26:395:53
1711.26:395:53
1811.26:395:54
1911.26:405:54
2011.36:405:55
2111.36:405:56
2211.36:405:56
2311.36:405:57
2411.36:405:57
2511.36:405:58
2611.36:405:58
2711.36:405:59
2811.36:405:59
2911.36:406:00
3011.36:406:00
3111.46:396:01

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Retalhuleu

In seasonPeak

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

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

Retalhuleu'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 Retalhuleu?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Retalhuleu in January

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

In January, Retalhuleu sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Retalhuleu in January

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 46 km away) is warmest in July at about 30°C and coldest in February near 29°C.

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

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Retalhuleu in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Retalhuleu peaks around March 21 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 21UV 12Dec 14UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Retalhuleu 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 Retalhuleu is worst in December — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.6× the cleanest month (June, 28 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2145 µg/m³Jun 2228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan44Poor
Feb45Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr44Poor
May40Poor
Jun28Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct30Moderate
Nov37Poor
Dec45Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Retalhuleu?

Retalhuleu sits at 14.5°N, 91.7°W, 241 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is San Sebastián, 4.0 km away.

Topography around Retalhuleu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Retalhuleu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m around an average of 237 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,034 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,178 m.

The land around Retalhuleu is covered by trees (47%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, trees (63%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
123 m
16 km
1,034 m
80 km
4,178 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: San Sebastián 4.0 km · Nuevo San Carlos 7.0 km · El Asintal 9.0 km · San Felipe 13 km · El Palmar 17 km · San Francisco Zapotitlán 18 km · Mazatenango 19 km · Colomba 20 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 Retalhuleu (14.5358°, -91.6785°, elevation 241 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).