Santa Cruz del Quiché in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Santa Cruz del Quiché sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 34 mm of rain over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 19°C in early December to 22°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Santa Cruz del Quiché's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz del Quiché's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 9°C
- Rainfall
- 34 mm
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Santa Cruz del Quiché in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 19°C in early December to 22°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Santa Cruz del Quiché reaches about 20°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Santa Cruz del Quiché 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 | 20° / 9° | 9 | 2.8 | 11.2 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 21° / 9° | 8 | 2.3 | 11.5 | 8.1 |
| Mar | 23° / 10° | 23 | 5.1 | 11.9 | 8.0 |
| Apr | 24° / 11° | 60 | 10 | 12.3 | 7.0 |
| May | 23° / 12° | 175 | 19.4 | 12.7 | 5.1 |
| Jun | 21° / 13° | 281 | 25.8 | 12.9 | 3.9 |
| Jul | 21° / 12° | 153 | 21.1 | 12.8 | 4.6 |
| Aug | 21° / 12° | 186 | 22.9 | 12.5 | 4.4 |
| Sep | 21° / 12° | 264 | 26.5 | 12.1 | 3.8 |
| Oct | 20° / 12° | 183 | 20.7 | 11.7 | 4.6 |
| Nov | 20° / 11° | 42 | 8.2 | 11.3 | 6.4 |
| Dec | 20° / 9° | 17 | 3.7 | 11.1 | 7.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santa Cruz del Quiché gets around 34 mm of rain over 9 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early December to 11 h 42 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 5.2 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz del Quiché
None of Santa Cruz del Quiché's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Santa Cruz del Quiché's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Santa Cruz del Quiché?
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 one of the better times to visit Santa Cruz del Quiché for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Santa Cruz del Quiché in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Santa Cruz del Quiché sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
UV index in Santa Cruz del Quiché in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 11 (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 Cruz del Quiché peaks around April 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 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) | 10 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Very high |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 14 | Extreme |
| Jul | 14 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Air quality in Santa Cruz del Quiché 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 Santa Cruz del Quiché 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 |
Where is Santa Cruz del Quiché?
Santa Cruz del Quiché sits at 15.0°N, 91.1°W, 1,979 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Chichicastenango, 10 km away.
Topography around Santa Cruz del Quiché
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Cruz del Quiché.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz del Quiché has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 m around an average of 2,014 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,428 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,872 m.
The land around Santa Cruz del Quiché is covered by trees (41%), cropland (23%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, trees (69%) within 16 km, and trees (79%) 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 Santa Cruz del Quiché (15.0299°, -91.1488°, elevation 1,979 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.