Quetzaltenango climate
Quetzaltenango (Guatemala) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 14 °C57 °F, and about 1,857 mm73 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Quetzaltenango climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1763 | 643 | 1253 | 60.2 |
| Feb | 1965 | 744 | 1355 | 70.3 |
| Mar | 2068 | 745 | 1457 | 220.9 |
| Apr | 2271 | 949 | 1560 | 632.5 |
| May | 2068 | 1151 | 1560 | 2178.6 |
| Jun | 1865 | 1152 | 1558 | 31512 |
| Jul | 1865 | 1050 | 1458 | 2268.9 |
| Aug | 1865 | 1051 | 1458 | 28911 |
| Sep | 1864 | 1151 | 1458 | 35314 |
| Oct | 1864 | 1050 | 1457 | 29111 |
| Nov | 1763 | 846 | 1355 | 582.3 |
| Dec | 1763 | 744 | 1253 | 100.4 |
| Year | 2271 | 643 | 1457 | 1,85773 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 32% | 5.2 | 11:20 |
| Feb | 79% | 36% | 5.6 | 11:38 |
| Mar | 75% | 44% | 5.8 | 12:01 |
| Apr | 74% | 56% | 5.6 | 12:27 |
| May | 82% | 77% | 5.1 | 12:49 |
| Jun | 87% | 82% | 5.0 | 13:00 |
| Jul | 86% | 74% | 5.6 | 12:55 |
| Aug | 87% | 78% | 5.4 | 12:37 |
| Sep | 89% | 83% | 4.9 | 12:12 |
| Oct | 89% | 73% | 4.7 | 11:46 |
| Nov | 87% | 48% | 5.0 | 11:25 |
| Dec | 84% | 33% | 5.0 | 11:15 |
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 Quetzaltenango is like
The warmest month is April, with an average high of 22 °C71 °F and a low of 9 °C49 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 17 °C63 °F and lows 6 °C43 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.8 °C6.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,857 mm73 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is August–October, which brings 50% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is September (353 mm14 in), the driest is January (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 74% in April to 89% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 32%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 4 km/h (2 mph) in May to 6 km/h (4 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.3 hours in December to 13.0 hours in June.
Best time to visit Quetzaltenango
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–April: average highs of 19 °C65 °F to 22 °C71 °F with 7 mm0.3 in to 63 mm2.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is September, which is very wet (353 mm14 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 Quetzaltenango
- Wetter months (May–October) — highs 1864 to 20 °C68 °F, lows 1050 to 11 °C52 °F, about 282 mm11 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and a good rain jacket or umbrella and quick-drying shoes.
- Drier months (November–April) — highs 1763 to 22 °C71 °F, lows 643 to 9 °C49 °F, about 28 mm1.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Quetzaltenango compares
Compared with Tapachula, about 79 km to the west, Quetzaltenango is on average 13.3 °C24 °F cooler and receives 28% less precipitation (1,857 mm73 in vs 2,570 mm101 in). The difference is largest in January (14.6 °C26.3 °F cooler).
Of the 8 places in Guatemala covered by World Climates, Quetzaltenango is the 8th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd 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: San Cristóbal de las Casas (Mexico, Csb), Ooty (India, Cwb) and Pachuca de Soto (Mexico, Csb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Chichicastenango (pop. 141,567) and Totonicapán (pop. 103,952). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Quetzaltenango, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Coatepeque 40 km · 25 °C77 °F · 2,100 mm83 in
- Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa 78 km · 26 °C78 °F · 1,884 mm74 in
- Tapachula 79 km · 27 °C81 °F · 2,570 mm101 in
- Guatemala City 111 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,332 mm52 in
- Cobán 142 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,469 mm58 in
- Jalapa 166 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,206 mm47 in
- Comitán 169 km · 18 °C64 °F · 1,394 mm55 in
- Chiquimula 213 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,439 mm57 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Quetzaltenango?
April is the warmest month in Quetzaltenango, with an average high of 22 °C (71 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (49 °F).
What is the coldest month in Quetzaltenango?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 17 °C (63 °F) and an average low of 6 °C (43 °F).
When does it rain the most in Quetzaltenango?
September is the wettest month with about 353 mm (13.9 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Quetzaltenango?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February–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 2,101 m, while Quetzaltenango lies at about 2,351 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.6 °C2.9 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.