Santiago Atitlán weather in January

In January, Santiago Atitlán sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 14 mm of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 55% 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 Santiago Atitlán's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santiago Atitlán's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
10th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:38 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
38%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

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 Santiago Atitlán 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)
12012
22012
32012
42012
52012
62012
72012
82012
92012
102012
112012
122112
132112
142112
152112
162112
172112
182112
192112
202112
212112
222112
232112
242112
252112
262112
272112
282112
292112
302112
312112

Santiago Atitlán weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 12°143.411.27.8
Feb22° / 12°204.711.57.7
Mar22° / 13°6511.911.96.6
Apr22° / 14°15918.512.35.3
May22° / 14°36825.912.74.0
Jun21° / 15°37526.212.83.8
Jul21° / 14°1991912.84.9
Aug21° / 14°26021.812.54.5
Sep21° / 14°37927.112.13.7
Oct21° / 14°2672311.74.3
Nov20° / 13°6110.411.36.3
Dec20° / 12°214.311.17.5

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 17%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48218
58218
68218
78218
88218
98317
108317
118317
128317
138416
148416
158416
168416
178416
188416
198317
208317
218317
228317
238317
248317
258317
268416
278317
288317
298317
308317
318317

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santiago Atitlán gets around 14 mm of rain over 3.4 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 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
212
312
412
511
611
711
810
910
1010
119
129
139
149
159
1610
1710
1810
1911
2011
2111
2212
2312
2412
2513
2613
2713
2814
2914
3014
3114

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
2964
3964
4964
5973
6973
7973
8973
9973
10973
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20973
21973
22964
23964
24964
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

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
256calm
266calm
276calm
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 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:345:42
211.26:345:43
311.26:345:44
411.26:355:44
511.26:355:45
611.26:355:45
711.26:365:46
811.26:365:46
911.26:365:47
1011.26:365:47
1111.26:375:48
1211.26:375:49
1311.26:375:49
1411.26:375:50
1511.26:375:50
1611.26:385:51
1711.26:385:51
1811.26:385:52
1911.26:385:52
2011.26:385:53
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
3111.36:385:59

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 4.43 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
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santiago Atitlán

In seasonPeak

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

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

Santiago Atitlán'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 Santiago Atitlán?

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
4.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Santiago Atitlán in January

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

In January, Santiago Atitlán 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 Santiago Atitlán 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 Santiago Atitlán 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 Santiago Atitlán 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 Santiago Atitlán 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 Santiago Atitlán?

Santiago Atitlán sits at 14.6°N, 91.2°W, 1,603 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Panajachel, 14 km away.

Topography around Santiago Atitlán

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santiago Atitlán has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 698 m around an average of 1,708 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,122 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,937 m.

The land around Santiago Atitlán is covered by trees (63%) and water (22%) within 3 km, trees (76%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
698 m
16 km
3,122 m
80 km
3,937 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Panajachel 14 km · Chicacao 15 km · Sololá 16 km · Santa Bárbara 23 km · Patzún 24 km · San Pablo Jocopilas 25 km · Nahualá 25 km · Patulul 25 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 Santiago Atitlán (14.6382°, -91.229°, elevation 1,603 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).