Esmeraldas climate
Esmeraldas (Ecuador) has a tropical savanna (dry summer) climate (Köppen As). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C79 °F, and about 1,146 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Esmeraldas climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 2374 | 2679 | 1646.4 |
| Feb | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 1626.4 |
| Mar | 2883 | 2475 | 2679 | 1716.7 |
| Apr | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 1797.1 |
| May | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 1365.3 |
| Jun | 2984 | 2374 | 2679 | 712.8 |
| Jul | 2985 | 2373 | 2679 | 341.3 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2373 | 2680 | 190.8 |
| Sep | 3087 | 2373 | 2780 | 301.2 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2373 | 2680 | 461.8 |
| Nov | 3086 | 2373 | 2679 | 491.9 |
| Dec | 3085 | 2374 | 2679 | 843.3 |
| Year | 3087 | 2373 | 2679 | 1,14645 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83% | 90% | 3.6 | 12:04 |
| Feb | 85% | 89% | 3.9 | 12:05 |
| Mar | 86% | 87% | 4.2 | 12:06 |
| Apr | 86% | 84% | 4.2 | 12:08 |
| May | 85% | 88% | 3.6 | 12:10 |
| Jun | 83% | 85% | 3.3 | 12:11 |
| Jul | 80% | 82% | 3.3 | 12:10 |
| Aug | 76% | 82% | 3.4 | 12:09 |
| Sep | 74% | 87% | 3.4 | 12:07 |
| Oct | 75% | 87% | 3.4 | 12:05 |
| Nov | 75% | 86% | 3.4 | 12:04 |
| Dec | 78% | 86% | 3.3 | 12:04 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Esmeraldas is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 30 °C87 °F and a low of 23 °C73 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 28 °C83 °F and lows 24 °C75 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 0.7 °C1.2 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,146 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 45% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: August. The wettest month is April (179 mm7.1 in), the driest is August (19 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in September to 86% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 82%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in March to 11 km/h (7 mph) in October.
Best time to visit Esmeraldas
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are June–November: average highs of 29 °C84 °F to 30 °C87 °F with 19 mm0.8 in to 71 mm2.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (179 mm7.1 in) and humid (86% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Esmeraldas
- Wetter months (January–May) — highs 2883 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2374 to 24 °C75 °F, about 162 mm6.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (June–December) — highs 2984 to 30 °C87 °F, lows around 23 °C73 °F, about 48 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Esmeraldas compares
Compared with Santo Domingo de los Colorados, about 145 km to the south, Esmeraldas is on average 2.3 °C4.2 °F warmer and receives 22% less precipitation (1,146 mm45 in vs 1,465 mm58 in). The difference is largest in May (2.7 °C4.8 °F warmer).
Of the 16 places in Ecuador covered by World Climates, Esmeraldas is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Ecuador climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Tumaco (Colombia, As), São Tomé (Sao Tome and Principe, As) and Neiva (Colombia, As).
Nearby places
- Tumaco 133 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,029 mm40 in
- Santo Domingo de los Colorados 145 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,465 mm58 in
- Quito 182 km · 11 °C52 °F · 1,180 mm46 in
- Ibarra 183 km · 16 °C61 °F · 1,043 mm41 in
- Quevedo 222 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,257 mm50 in
- Latacunga 240 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,253 mm49 in
- Portoviejo 241 km · 25 °C77 °F · 575 mm23 in
- Manta 244 km · 25 °C78 °F · 575 mm23 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Esmeraldas?
September is the warmest month in Esmeraldas, with an average high of 30 °C (87 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
What is the coldest month in Esmeraldas?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
When does it rain the most in Esmeraldas?
April is the wettest month with about 179 mm (7.1 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 19 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Esmeraldas?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are June–November.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 92 m, while Esmeraldas lies at about 18 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.5 °C0.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.