Jalapa climate
Jalapa (Guatemala) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C67 °F, and about 1,206 mm47 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Jalapa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2373 | 1152 | 1763 | 140.6 |
| Feb | 2678 | 1254 | 1966 | 130.5 |
| Mar | 2882 | 1356 | 2069 | 140.5 |
| Apr | 2984 | 1559 | 2272 | 341.3 |
| May | 2780 | 1662 | 2271 | 1425.6 |
| Jun | 2475 | 1661 | 2068 | 1957.7 |
| Jul | 2475 | 1660 | 2068 | 1616.3 |
| Aug | 2474 | 1660 | 2067 | 2028.0 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1660 | 1967 | 2148.4 |
| Oct | 2272 | 1559 | 1966 | 1526.0 |
| Nov | 2271 | 1355 | 1763 | 471.9 |
| Dec | 2272 | 1253 | 1762 | 190.7 |
| Year | 2984 | 1152 | 1967 | 1,20647 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 36% | 5.0 | 11:21 |
| Feb | 71% | 34% | 5.7 | 11:39 |
| Mar | 65% | 34% | 6.2 | 12:01 |
| Apr | 64% | 44% | 6.1 | 12:27 |
| May | 73% | 70% | 5.5 | 12:48 |
| Jun | 83% | 78% | 5.5 | 12:59 |
| Jul | 85% | 72% | 6.0 | 12:55 |
| Aug | 85% | 72% | 6.0 | 12:36 |
| Sep | 87% | 78% | 5.4 | 12:12 |
| Oct | 88% | 70% | 5.0 | 11:47 |
| Nov | 86% | 47% | 4.9 | 11:26 |
| Dec | 83% | 37% | 4.8 | 11:16 |
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 Jalapa is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 22 °C72 °F and lows 12 °C53 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.2 °C9.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,206 mm47 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is July–September, which brings 48% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–March. The wettest month is September (214 mm8.4 in), the driest is February (13 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 64% in April to 88% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 34%) are typical of March. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (3 mph) in September to 11 km/h (7 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.3 hours in December to 13.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Jalapa
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November–April: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 13 mm0.5 in to 47 mm1.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is September, which is very wet (214 mm8.4 in).
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 Jalapa
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 2272 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1559 to 16 °C62 °F, about 178 mm7.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 2271 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1152 to 15 °C59 °F, about 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Jalapa compares
Compared with Guatemala City, about 56 km to the west, Jalapa is on average 0.7 °C1.2 °F warmer and receives 9% less precipitation (1,206 mm47 in vs 1,332 mm52 in). The difference is largest in May (1.2 °C2.2 °F warmer).
Of the 8 places in Guatemala covered by World Climates, Jalapa is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 8th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Guatemala climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Oaxaca (Mexico, Csa), Comitán (Mexico, Csb) and Tehuacán (Mexico, Cwb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Jutiapa (pop. 145,880). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Jalapa, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Chiquimula 51 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,439 mm57 in
- Guatemala City 56 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,332 mm52 in
- Santa Ana 86 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,298 mm51 in
- Cobán 102 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,469 mm58 in
- Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa 116 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,884 mm74 in
- San Salvador 136 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,489 mm59 in
- Quetzaltenango 166 km · 14 °C57 °F · 1,857 mm73 in
- Puerto Barrios 193 km · 26 °C80 °F · 1,739 mm68 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Jalapa?
April is the warmest month in Jalapa, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Jalapa?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 22 °C (72 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).
When does it rain the most in Jalapa?
September is the wettest month with about 214 mm (8.4 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 13 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Jalapa?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November–April.
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 1,040 m, while Jalapa lies at about 1,360 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −2.1 °C3.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.