Estelí weather in January

In January, Estelí sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 3 mm of rain across 0.7 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 Estelí's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Estelí's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
9th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Rainfall
3 mm
0.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:16 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
38%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.17 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Estelí is large urban settlement and municipal seat in Estelí Department, Nicaragua..

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Estelí reaches about 27°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 29°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

Estelí weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 9th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°30.711.38.2
Feb29° / 18°30.511.67.4
Mar30° / 19°61.411.96.2
Apr31° / 20°365.412.34.8
May30° / 21°23117.812.63.9
Jun28° / 20°1872112.84.3
Jul28° / 20°8314.712.75.2
Aug29° / 20°15018.912.44.4
Sep28° / 20°22723.712.13.9
Oct27° / 20°24822.911.74.4
Nov27° / 19°558.711.46.6
Dec27° / 18°61.611.28.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28317
38317
48317
58317
68317
78317
88317
98317
108317
118416
128416
138416
148515
158515
168515
178515
188614
198614
208713
218713
228812
238812
248812
258812
268911
278911
288911
298911
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Estelí gets around 3 mm of rain over 0.7 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 2% and peaks near 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
44
54
63
73
83
93
103
112
122
132
142
152
162
172
182
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 63% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1321688
2322678
3323677
4323677
5324667
6425656
7425656
8426646
9427645
10428635
11429634
12430624
13530614
14531613
15531613
16531613
17531613
18531622
19631612
20631612
21632602
22632611
23632611
24632611
25632611
26632611
27532621
28532621
29532621
30533620
31533620

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

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 6:11 AM to 6:16 AM, and sunset from 5:26 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:115:26
211.26:125:26
311.26:125:27
411.26:125:27
511.36:135:28
611.36:135:28
711.36:135:29
811.36:145:30
911.36:145:30
1011.36:145:31
1111.36:145:31
1211.36:155:32
1311.36:155:32
1411.36:155:33
1511.36:155:33
1611.36:165:34
1711.36:165:34
1811.36:165:35
1911.36:165:35
2011.36:165:36
2111.36:165:37
2211.36:165:37
2311.46:165:38
2411.46:165:38
2511.46:165:39
2611.46:165:39
2711.46:165:39
2811.46:165:40
2911.46:165:40
3011.46:165:41
3111.46:165:41

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.17 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.17 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
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
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 Estelí

In seasonPeak

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

Estelí's rainy season runs August–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Estelí?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Estelí in January

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

In January, Estelí sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Estelí in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Estelí peaks around March 24 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 highMar 24UV 14Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Estelí 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 Estelí is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1623 µg/m³Jan 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr21Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Estelí?

Estelí sits at 13.1°N, 86.4°W, 833 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is Jinotega, 38 km away.

JinotegaSomotoMatagalpaSomotilloOcotalEl ParaísoLa Paz CentroCiudad Choluteca

Topography around Estelí

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Estelí has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m around an average of 860 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,177 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,071 m.

The land around Estelí is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and grassland (31%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and grassland (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
247 m
16 km
1,177 m
80 km
2,071 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Jinotega 38 km · Somoto 50 km · Matagalpa 51 km · Somotillo 60 km · Ocotal 61 km · El Paraíso 89 km · La Paz Centro 91 km · Ciudad Choluteca 92 km

Nicaragua travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,173
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.3
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
16.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 512
Religion
Roman Catholic 45%Protestant 39%none 14%other 1%

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 Estelí (13.0929°, -86.3559°, elevation 833 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).