Santa Bárbara weather in January

In January, Santa Bárbara sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 20 mm of rain across 6 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% 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 Santa Bárbara's 1st-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Bárbara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Rainfall
20 mm
6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:37 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
27%
1st clearest
Wind
5 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical January day in Santa Bárbara reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°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)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72818
82818
92818
102818
112818
122818
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182818
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

Santa Bárbara weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 4th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 18°20611.27.3
Feb29° / 18°165.111.56.5
Mar29° / 19°4910.311.95.5
Apr29° / 20°12819.412.34.4
May28° / 20°3952912.73.5
Jun27° / 20°43629.312.83.3
Jul27° / 20°37430.612.83.3
Aug27° / 20°44730.712.53.3
Sep27° / 20°52029.812.13.3
Oct27° / 20°50930.411.73.5
Nov27° / 19°1962311.34.7
Dec27° / 18°4411.511.26.7

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 81% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 7%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
39010
4919
5919
6919
7919
8928
9928
10928
11928
12937
13946
14946
15946
16946
17946
18946
19946
20946
21946
22946
23937
24937
25937
26937
27937
28937
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santa Bárbara gets around 20 mm of rain over 6 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 20% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
224
324
423
522
622
721
820
920
1020
1119
1219
1318
1418
1518
1618
1718
1818
1918
2018
2118
2219
2319
2419
2519
2619
2718
2818
2918
3018
3118

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 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13196711
24196710
3420679
4420688
5521677
6522676
7523666
8524665
9525655
10626635
11627634
12627634
13628624
14529624
15529624
16530614
17530614
18530614
19431605
20431605
21431605
22432595
23432586
24332596
25333586
26333586
27333586
28334576
29334585
30434575
31434575

Wind in January

Winds average 5 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

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 6:33 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:335:43
211.26:345:43
311.26:345:44
411.26:345:44
511.26:355:45
611.26:355:46
711.26:355:46
811.26:365:47
911.26:365:47
1011.26:365:48
1111.26:365:48
1211.26:375:49
1311.26:375:49
1411.26:375:50
1511.26:375:51
1611.26:375:51
1711.26:375:52
1811.26:385:52
1911.36:385:53
2011.36:385:53
2111.36:385:54
2211.36:385:54
2311.36:385:55
2411.36:385:55
2511.36:385:56
2611.36:385:56
2711.36:385:57
2811.36:385:57
2911.36:385:58
3011.36:385:58
3111.46:385:59

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.38 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santa Bárbara

In seasonPeak

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

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

Santa Bárbara'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 Santa Bárbara?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Santa Bárbara for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Santa Bárbara in January

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

In January, Santa Bárbara sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Bárbara 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 55 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 Santa Bárbara 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 Santa Bárbara peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 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 13UV 13Dec 12UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Santa Bárbara 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 Santa Bárbara 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 Santa Bárbara?

Santa Bárbara sits at 14.4°N, 91.2°W, 425 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Patulul, 7.0 km away.

San Pablo JocopilasYepocapaMazatenango

Topography around Santa Bárbara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Bárbara has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m around an average of 416 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,931 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,945 m.

The land around Santa Bárbara is covered by trees (69%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, trees (75%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) within 80 km.

3 km
452 m
16 km
2,931 m
80 km
3,945 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Patulul 7.0 km · Chicacao 16 km · Tiquisate 22 km · Santiago Atitlán 23 km · Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa 25 km · San Pablo Jocopilas 30 km · Yepocapa 30 km · Mazatenango 32 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 Santa Bárbara (14.4356°, -91.2268°, elevation 425 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).