San Rafael del Sur weather in January

In January, San Rafael del Sur sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 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 Rafael del Sur's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Rafael del Sur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
5th warmest
Overnight low
24°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:14 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
24%
3rd clearest
Wind
21 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

San Rafael del Sur is Town in Nicaragua, seat of the second admin division Municipio de San Rafael del Sur.

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 32°C through the month.

A typical January day in San Rafael del Sur reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13224
23224
33224
43224
53224
63224
73224
83224
93224
103224
113224
123224
133224
143224
153224
163224
173224
183224
193224
203224
213224
223224
233224
243224
253224
263224
273324
283324
293324
303324
313324

How January really feels in San Rafael del Sur

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

San Rafael del Sur weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 24°10.311.45.1
Feb33° / 24°10.311.64.8
Mar34° / 25°20.711.94.2
Apr34° / 26°204.212.33.4
May33° / 26°19017.912.52.9
Jun31° / 25°2002012.73.1
Jul32° / 25°9311.912.63.7
Aug32° / 25°1441712.43.3
Sep31° / 25°25624.212.12.9
Oct30° / 24°31124.611.73.2
Nov31° / 24°769.111.54.5
Dec32° / 24°61.111.35.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 8%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
39010
4919
5919
6919
7919
8919
9919
10919
11919
12928
13928
14928
15928
16928
17928
18928
19928
20928
21928
22928
23928
24928
25928
26928
27928
28928
29928
30928
31928

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

San Rafael del Sur gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.3 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
250
260
270
280
290
300
311

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 75% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1318727
2318727
3418717
4419716
5419716
6419725
7420715
8420715
9420724
10521704
11521704
12521713
13521713
14521713
15521722
16521722
17521722
18620722
19620731
20620731
21520741
22520741
23520741
24520741
25520741
26521731
27421741
28421741
29421741
30422722
31422722

Wind in January

Winds average 21 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 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 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:095:28
211.36:105:29
311.36:105:29
411.36:115:30
511.36:115:30
611.36:115:31
711.36:125:32
811.36:125:32
911.36:125:33
1011.36:125:33
1111.36:135:34
1211.46:135:34
1311.46:135:35
1411.46:135:35
1511.46:145:36
1611.46:145:36
1711.46:145:37
1811.46:145:37
1911.46:145:38
2011.46:145:38
2111.46:155:39
2211.46:155:39
2311.46:155:40
2411.46:155:40
2511.46:155:41
2611.46:155:41
2711.46:155:42
2811.56:155:42
2911.56:155:43
3011.56:155:43
3111.56:155:43

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.96 kWh/m² in April across the year — January's 5.63 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for San Rafael del Sur

In seasonPeak

None of San Rafael 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 Rafael del Sur sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

San Rafael del Sur's monsoon runs August–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 Rafael del Sur?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit San Rafael del Sur for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for San Rafael del Sur in January

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

In January, San Rafael del Sur sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker.

light clothessun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near San Rafael del Sur in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 21 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in San Rafael 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 Rafael del Sur peaks around March 22 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 22UV 14Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in San Rafael 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 Rafael del Sur is worst in July — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1625 µg/m³Jan 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr21Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Rafael del Sur?

San Rafael del Sur sits at 11.8°N, 86.4°W, 126 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is El Crucero, 21 km away.

MasatepeCiudad SandinoManaguaMasaya

Topography around San Rafael del Sur

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Rafael del Sur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 152 m around an average of 119 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 693 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,305 m.

The land around San Rafael del Sur is covered by trees (48%) and grassland (40%) within 3 km, trees (54%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (46%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
152 m
16 km
693 m
80 km
1,305 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: El Crucero 21 km · Diriamba 22 km · Jinotepe 26 km · San Marcos 26 km · Masatepe 33 km · Ciudad Sandino 36 km · Managua 38 km · Masaya 40 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 Rafael del Sur (11.8485°, -86.4384°, elevation 126 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).