Santa Cruz de Mara weather in January

In January, Santa Cruz de Mara sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 9 mm of rain across 2.5 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-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 62% 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 Santa Cruz de Mara's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz de Mara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
9th warmest
Overnight low
25°
1st coldest
Rainfall
9 mm
2.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:43 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
37%
1st clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Santa Cruz de Mara is populated place in Venezuela.

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 Santa Cruz de Mara reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°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 34°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)
13225
23225
33225
43225
53225
63225
73225
83225
93225
103225
113225
123225
133225
143225
153225
163225
173225
183225
193225
203225
213325
223325
233325
243325
253325
263325
273325
283325
293325
303325
313325

How January really feels in Santa Cruz de Mara

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.

Santa Cruz de Mara 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
Jan32° / 25°92.511.44.7
Feb33° / 25°61.611.64.4
Mar33° / 25°214.211.93.8
Apr33° / 26°7211.912.23.0
May33° / 26°16720.812.52.5
Jun33° / 26°11518.212.62.6
Jul34° / 26°9216.812.62.6
Aug33° / 26°14321.912.42.3
Sep33° / 26°17425.412.12.1
Oct32° / 26°20828.211.82.3
Nov32° / 25°15422.511.52.9
Dec32° / 25°4710.411.44.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 62% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37525
47723
57723
67921
77921
87921
98020
108020
118020
128020
138020
148020
158020
167921
177921
187921
197921
207921
217921
227921
237921
247921
257921
267921
277921
288020
298020
308119
318119

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz de Mara gets around 9 mm of rain over 2.5 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 9% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
116
215
314
413
512
611
710
810
99
109
119
129
138
148
158
168
178
188
198
208
217
227
237
247
257
266
276
286
296
306
316

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 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
114779
215769
316768
417767
518766
619756
720755
821745
922735
1023725
1124715
1225714
1326704
1427694
1527694
1628684
1729683
1829683
1930673
2030673
2131672
2231672
2332662
2432662
2533652
2634651
2734651
2835641
2935641
3035641
3136631

Wind in January

Winds average 16 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 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
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
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

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 6:39 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:396:01
211.46:396:02
311.46:396:02
411.46:406:03
511.46:406:03
611.46:406:04
711.46:416:04
811.46:416:05
911.46:416:05
1011.46:426:06
1111.46:426:06
1211.46:426:07
1311.46:426:07
1411.46:436:08
1511.46:436:08
1611.46:436:09
1711.46:436:09
1811.46:436:10
1911.46:446:10
2011.56:446:11
2111.56:446:11
2211.56:446:12
2311.56:446:12
2411.56:446:13
2511.56:446:13
2611.56:446:14
2711.56:446:14
2811.56:446:15
2911.56:446:15
3011.56:446:15
3111.56:446:16

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.18 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 5.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz de Mara

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Cruz de Mara's rainy season runs August–November, 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 Santa Cruz de Mara?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Santa Cruz de Mara for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Santa Cruz de Mara in January

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

In January, Santa Cruz de Mara sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Cruz de Mara 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 offshore is warmest in September at about 30°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°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Santa Cruz de Mara 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 Santa Cruz de Mara peaks around March 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 17UV 13Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Santa Cruz de Mara 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 Santa Cruz de Mara is worst in June — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1031 µg/m³Dec 2312 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb16Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May30Moderate
Jun31Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz de Mara?

Santa Cruz de Mara sits at 10.8°N, 71.7°W, 13 m above sea level, in Venezuela. The nearest listed city is Maracaibo, 19 km away.

Topography around Santa Cruz de Mara

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Cruz de Mara.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz de Mara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,174 m.

The land around Santa Cruz de Mara is covered by water (31%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, water (40%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
92 m
80 km
1,174 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Maracaibo 19 km · San Rafael 19 km · Los Puertos de Altagracia 20 km · La Concepción 26 km · Santa Rita 34 km · Chiquinquirá 39 km · Concepción 42 km · Cabimas 51 km

Venezuela travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 0% of US
price level, 2011
GDP per capita
$3,495
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
12.6
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
39
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 520
Religion
Roman Catholic 48%Protestant 32%none 14%believer 4%

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 Santa Cruz de Mara (10.7927°, -71.6851°, elevation 13 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. 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).