San Juan del Sur weather in January

In January, San Juan del Sur sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 10 mm of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-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 78% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is San Juan del Sur's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Juan del Sur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
1st coldest
Rainfall
10 mm
3.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:11 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
29%
3rd clearest
Wind
32 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

San Juan del Sur is Town in Nicaragua, Seat of the San Juan del Sur Municipality, Rivas Department.

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 San Juan del Sur reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302824
312824

How January really feels in San Juan del Sur

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

San Juan del Sur weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°103.411.48.0
Feb28° / 24°41.411.68.2
Mar29° / 24°30.911.97.4
Apr30° / 25°143.112.26.2
May29° / 26°15316.312.54.4
Jun28° / 25°19826.512.63.4
Jul28° / 25°15125.812.63.7
Aug28° / 25°16826.412.43.6
Sep28° / 25°25227.212.13.4
Oct28° / 25°29027.411.73.8
Nov28° / 25°10215.411.55.6
Dec27° / 24°246.311.47.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38614
48614
58614
68614
78614
88614
98713
108713
118713
128713
138812
148812
158812
168812
178911
188911
199010
209010
219010
229010
239010
249010
25919
26919
27919
28928
29928
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

San Juan del Sur gets around 10 mm of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
415
514
614
713
813
913
1012
1112
1211
1311
1410
1510
1610
179
189
199
209
219
229
238
248
258
268
278
288
298
308
317

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
121880
221979
331978
432077
532077
632077
732176
832275
932275
1032374
1132374
1232374
1332473
1442472
1542472
1642472
1742472
1842472
1942472
2042472
2132473
2232473
2332473
2432473
2532473
2632473
2732473
2832374
2932374
3032374
3122375

Wind in January

Winds average 32 km/h in January, the windiest month of the year.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 31 km/h on the calmest days to 32 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
131windy
231windy
331windy
432windy
532windy
632windy
732windy
832windy
932windy
1032windy
1132windy
1232windy
1332windy
1432windy
1532windy
1632windy
1732windy
1832windy
1932windy
2032windy
2132windy
2232windy
2332windy
2432windy
2532windy
2632windy
2732windy
2832windy
2932windy
3032windy
3132windy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of January to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 6:12 AM, and sunset from 5:27 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:065:27
211.46:065:28
311.46:075:28
411.46:075:29
511.46:085:29
611.46:085:30
711.46:085:30
811.46:095:31
911.46:095:31
1011.46:095:32
1111.46:095:32
1211.46:105:33
1311.46:105:33
1411.46:105:34
1511.46:105:34
1611.46:115:35
1711.46:115:35
1811.46:115:36
1911.46:115:36
2011.46:115:37
2111.46:115:37
2211.46:115:38
2311.46:125:38
2411.56:125:39
2511.56:125:39
2611.56:125:40
2711.56:125:40
2811.56:125:41
2911.56:125:41
3011.56:125:41
3111.56:125:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for San Juan del Sur

In seasonPeak

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

San Juan del Sur sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

San Juan del Sur's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit San Juan del Sur?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for San Juan del Sur in January

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

In January, San Juan del Sur sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and a windbreaker. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothesa windbreakersun protection

Sea temperature near San Juan del Sur in January

The nearest coast averages about 26°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 14 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr28Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov27Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in San Juan del Sur 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 San Juan del Sur peaks around March 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 20UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in San Juan del Sur 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 San Juan del Sur is worst in July — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Dec 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr19Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Juan del Sur?

San Juan del Sur sits at 11.3°N, 85.9°W, 0 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is Rivas, 21 km away.

NandaimeJinotepeGranadaDiriambaMasatepeSan MarcosLiberia

Topography around San Juan del Sur

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Juan del Sur.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Juan del Sur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 234 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 430 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,874 m.

The land around San Juan del Sur is covered by trees (45%) and water (37%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and water (62%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
234 m
16 km
430 m
80 km
1,874 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Rivas 21 km · Nandaime 59 km · Jinotepe 75 km · Granada 76 km · Diriamba 78 km · Masatepe 79 km · San Marcos 82 km · Liberia 83 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 San Juan del Sur (11.2529°, -85.8705°, elevation 0 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).