Jinotega in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Jinotega sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 28 mm of rain over about 8 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels humid.

Winter is Jinotega's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Jinotega's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
17°C
Rainfall
28 mm
8 wet days
Avg wind
15 km/h
Travel score
7.9
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Jinotega in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.

A typical winter day in Jinotega reaches about 26°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Jinotega 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°92.511.38.0
Feb27° / 17°61.611.68.0
Mar28° / 18°82.111.97.1
Apr30° / 19°35512.35.7
May29° / 20°19617.512.64.4
Jun27° / 20°15722.812.84.3
Jul27° / 20°8118.312.75.1
Aug27° / 20°1132012.44.8
Sep27° / 19°16723.412.14.2
Oct27° / 19°19022.911.74.5
Nov26° / 18°5210.311.46.5
Dec26° / 18°133.911.27.7

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Jinotega gets around 28 mm of rain over 8 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 15 km/h across winter.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min in early December to 11 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.9 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Jinotega

In seasonPeak

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

Jinotega's rainy season runs May–June, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is winter a good time to visit Jinotega?

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.

7.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Jinotega in Winter

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

In winter, Jinotega sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Jinotega in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Jinotega peaks around April 10 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 highApr 10UV 14Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Jinotega in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Jinotega 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 Jinotega?

Jinotega sits at 13.1°N, 86.0°W, 1,007 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is Matagalpa, 20 km away.

EstelíSomotoBoacoOcotalRío BlancoJalapaCamoapa

Topography around Jinotega

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Jinotega has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 722 m around an average of 1,172 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 1,691 m.

The land around Jinotega is covered by trees (65%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and grassland (39%) within 16 km, and trees (58%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
722 m
16 km
1,177 m
80 km
1,691 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Matagalpa 20 km · Estelí 38 km · Somoto 76 km · Boaco 78 km · Ocotal 79 km · Río Blanco 86 km · Jalapa 93 km · Camoapa 95 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 Jinotega (13.091°, -86.0023°, elevation 1,007 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.