Masaya climate
Masaya (Nicaragua) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C80 °F, and about 1,453 mm57 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Masaya climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3188 | 2170 | 2679 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 3391 | 2272 | 2781 | 20.1 |
| Mar | 3493 | 2373 | 2883 | 50.2 |
| Apr | 3594 | 2576 | 3085 | 271.1 |
| May | 3289 | 2576 | 2883 | 2038.0 |
| Jun | 2985 | 2475 | 2780 | 2078.1 |
| Jul | 3085 | 2374 | 2780 | 1154.5 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2475 | 2780 | 1726.8 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 28811 |
| Oct | 2883 | 2374 | 2678 | 31312 |
| Nov | 2984 | 2272 | 2578 | 1124.4 |
| Dec | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 80.3 |
| Year | 3594 | 2170 | 2780 | 1,45357 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66% | 30% | 5.7 | 11:29 |
| Feb | 60% | 26% | 6.4 | 11:44 |
| Mar | 55% | 29% | 6.9 | 12:02 |
| Apr | 56% | 48% | 6.7 | 12:23 |
| May | 70% | 76% | 5.7 | 12:40 |
| Jun | 82% | 84% | 5.5 | 12:49 |
| Jul | 80% | 79% | 5.6 | 12:46 |
| Aug | 79% | 79% | 5.8 | 12:31 |
| Sep | 82% | 81% | 5.5 | 12:11 |
| Oct | 84% | 80% | 5.1 | 11:50 |
| Nov | 81% | 59% | 5.3 | 11:33 |
| Dec | 75% | 37% | 5.4 | 11:25 |
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 Masaya is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 35 °C94 °F and a low of 25 °C76 °F. The coldest is November, when highs average 29 °C84 °F and lows 22 °C72 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.2 °C7.5 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,453 mm57 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 53% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–March. The wettest month is October (313 mm12 in), the driest is January (1 mm0.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 55% in March to 84% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 26%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in October to 21 km/h (13 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.4 hours in December to 12.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Masaya
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December: average highs of 30 °C86 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 8 mm0.3 in to 8 mm0.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is very wet (313 mm12 in) and humid (84% 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 Masaya
- Wetter months (May and June, August–October) — highs 2883 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2374 to 25 °C76 °F, about 236 mm9.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (November–April, July) — highs 2984 to 35 °C94 °F, lows 2170 to 25 °C76 °F, about 39 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Masaya compares
Compared with Managua, about 24 km to the northwest, Masaya is on average 0.9 °C1.6 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (0.9 °C1.6 °F cooler).
Of the 5 places in Nicaragua covered by World Climates, Masaya is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 2nd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Nicaragua climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: San Miguel (El Salvador, Aw), Xuân Lộc (Vietnam, Aw) and Barranquilla (Colombia, Aw).
Nearby places
- Managua 24 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,453 mm57 in
- León 99 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
- Matagalpa 108 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,196 mm47 in
- Chinandega 134 km · 29 °C83 °F · 1,451 mm57 in
- Upala 168 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,466 mm58 in
- Danlí 235 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,122 mm44 in
- Puntarenas 261 km · 28 °C83 °F · 1,518 mm60 in
- Tegucigalpa 264 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,167 mm46 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Masaya?
April is the warmest month in Masaya, with an average high of 35 °C (94 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Masaya?
November is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
When does it rain the most in Masaya?
October is the wettest month with about 313 mm (12.3 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 1 mm (0.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Masaya?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December.
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 141 m, while Masaya lies at about 242 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.