Ponce weather in January

In January, Ponce sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 22 mm of rain across 7 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Ponce's 2nd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponce's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
22°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
7 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:05 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
39%
2nd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Ponce is historic district in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Founded
1646

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 26°C through the month.

A typical January day in Ponce reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°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)
12622
22622
32622
42622
52622
62622
72622
82622
92622
102622
112622
122622
132622
142622
152622
162622
172622
182622
192622
202622
212622
222622
232622
242622
252622
262622
272622
282622
292622
302622
312622

How January really feels in Ponce

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.

Ponce weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 22°227117.5
Feb26° / 22°216.411.47.5
Mar26° / 22°368.811.97.1
Apr27° / 22°5411.912.46.4
May27° / 23°8615.612.85.6
Jun28° / 24°4812.713.15.7
Jul29° / 24°5511.8135.6
Aug29° / 25°7715.412.65.0
Sep28° / 24°12418.912.14.6
Oct28° / 24°10519.611.65.0
Nov27° / 23°7614.411.25.9
Dec26° / 22°287.610.97.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28614
38713
48812
58812
68812
78812
88812
98812
108812
118713
128713
138713
148713
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258713
268713
278713
288713
298713
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Ponce gets around 22 mm of rain over 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
322
422
522
622
722
822
922
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1823
1923
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2823
2923
3023
3123

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 82% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 88% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1068014
2068113
3068212
4078211
5078310
607849
707858
808848
908857
1008857
1118856
1218856
1319846
1419855
1519855
16110845
17110854
18111844
19111844
20212824
21212824
22213814
23214813
24214813
25215803
26215803
27316783
28316783
29316783
30316783
31316783

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 7:04 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:025:58
210.97:025:58
310.97:025:59
410.97:025:59
511.07:036:00
611.07:036:01
711.07:036:01
811.07:046:02
911.07:046:02
1011.07:046:03
1111.07:046:04
1211.07:046:04
1311.07:056:05
1411.07:056:05
1511.07:056:06
1611.07:056:07
1711.07:056:07
1811.07:056:08
1911.17:056:08
2011.17:056:09
2111.17:056:10
2211.17:056:10
2311.17:056:11
2411.17:056:11
2511.17:056:12
2611.17:056:13
2711.17:056:13
2811.27:056:14
2911.27:056:14
3011.27:046:15
3111.27:046:15

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 4.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Ponce

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Ponce sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.

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

Is January a good time to visit Ponce?

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

7.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ponce in January

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

In January, Ponce sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Ponce 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 15 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
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Ponce in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ponce peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 15UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Ponce 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 Ponce is worst in July — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1025 µg/m³Jan 15 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May15Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ponce?

Ponce sits at 18.0°N, 66.6°W, 15 m above sea level, in Puerto Rico. The nearest listed city is Yauco, 24 km away.

YaucoLa PargueraSan GermánManatíCayeyBarcelonetaAreciboGuayama

Topography around Ponce

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponce has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 178 m around an average of 33 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,046 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,307 m.

The land around Ponce is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
178 m
16 km
1,046 m
80 km
1,307 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
January weather nearby: Yauco 24 km · La Parguera 45 km · San Germán 45 km · Manatí 48 km · Cayey 50 km · Barceloneta 50 km · Arecibo 52 km · Guayama 54 km

Puerto Rico travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 78% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$40,620
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2015
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
14.6
per 100k, 2023
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 56%Protestant 33%none 7%other 2%

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 Ponce (18.0103°, -66.624°, elevation 15 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).