Guatemala has eight climate regions in the study by the Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología (INSIVUMEH), the national institute for seismology, volcanology, meteorology and hydrology: Caribe, Valles de Oriente, Occidente, Boca Costa, Pacífico, Altiplano Central, Franja Transversal del Norte and Norte. Curiously, INSIVUMEH itself writes “seis” [six] and then lists eight. This page summarizes each region using the institute’s study Variabilidad y Cambio Climático en Guatemala (Climate Variability and Change in Guatemala), published in February 2018.
Quick summary: 8 regions (the official text says six; the list contains eight). Driest: Valles de Oriente, 700 to 1,300 mm of rainfall annually. Rainiest: Boca Costa, 3,100 to 4,000 mm, and Franja Transversal del Norte; Caribe ranges from 3,230 to 3,726 mm. Coldest: the highest parts of Occidente. Seasons: rainy from May to October (with the canícula dry spell in July and part of August) and dry from November to April. The station figures below compare 1971-2000 with 2001-2014; they are historical averages.
The eight regions, side by side
| Region | Area covered, according to INSIVUMEH | Regional average annual rainfall in the study | Climate described by INSIVUMEH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribe (Caribbean) | Region represented by Puerto Barrios station | 3,230 to 3,726 mm | Rain throughout the year; March is the driest month |
| Valles de Oriente (Eastern Valleys) | Most of Zacapa and parts of Chiquimula, El Progreso and Jalapa | 700 to 1,300 mm (the country’s lowest) | Warm with a mild winter, ranging from semi-dry without a well-defined dry season to dry with a dry winter; grassland and scrub |
| Occidente (Western region) | Most of Huehuetenango, Quiché, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán, Sololá, Chimaltenango and Guatemala, and parts of Alta and Baja Verapaz and Jalapa | 800 to 1,200 mm | Temperate to cool, with a mild winter; humid to semi-dry with a dry winter; mountains at 2,500 to 3,500 m; the country’s lowest temperatures in the highest areas |
| Boca Costa (Pacific foothills) | Narrow mountainside strip between the highlands and Pacific plain, from San Marcos to Santa Rosa | 3,100 to 4,000 mm | Warm, very humid, with no well-defined cold or dry season; rainforest; becoming humid without a well-defined dry season at the eastern end |
| Pacífico (Costa del Pacífico, Pacific Coast) | From San Marcos to Jutiapa, descending from 600 to 0 meters above sea level | 1,200 to 1,700 mm | Hot, without a well-defined cold season; humid to semi-dry with a dry winter; forest to grassland in the eastern sector |
| Altiplano Central (Central Highlands) | Region represented by INSIVUMEH and Alameda ICTA stations | 900 to 1,200 mm | — |
| Franja Transversal del Norte (Northern Transversal Strip) | Mountainsides in Huehuetenango, Quiché, Alta Verapaz and Izabal, at 900 to 2,000 m | 1,929 to 2,634 mm | Hot to warm, very humid, without a well-defined dry season; rainforest or forest |
| Norte (Northern region) | The plains of Petén, at 0 to 900 m | 1,559.1 to 1,718.2 mm | Hot with a mild winter; rain throughout the year, heaviest from June to October; average temperature between 20 °C and 30 °C |
Source: INSIVUMEH, Variabilidad y Cambio Climático en Guatemala, Departamento de Investigación y Servicios Climáticos, February 2018, chapter 5. The study does not describe the departments covered by Caribe and Altiplano Central, so only their reference stations are named here.
What the stations measured: 1971-2000 versus 2001-2014
The study compares each station’s average for the baseline period (1971-2000) with its average for the later period (2001-2014). The study calls the latter its current period; it does not mean present-day conditions.
| Region | Station | Annual rainfall 1971-2000 | Annual rainfall 2001-2014 | Mean annual temperature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribe | Puerto Barrios | — | — | Ranges from 25.8 to 26.6 °C |
| Valles de Oriente | La Fragua | 699.6 mm | 892.3 mm | 27.4 °C → 28.1 °C |
| Valles de Oriente | Asunción Mita | 1,288 mm | 1,460.9 mm | 26.8 °C → 27.4 °C |
| Occidente | Labor Ovalle | 833.5 mm | 951.4 mm | 13.6 °C → 15 °C |
| Occidente | Huehuetenango | 984.7 mm | 1,114.3 mm | 17.1 °C → 18.7 °C |
| Boca Costa | Camantulul | 3,510.3 mm | 4,168.0 mm | — |
| Boca Costa | Sabana Grande | 3,181.1 mm | 3,372.3 mm | — |
| Pacífico | Montufar | 1,338.2 mm | 1,654.0 mm | — |
| Pacífico | Puerto San José | 1,442.7 mm | 1,728.8 mm | — |
| Altiplano Central | INSIVUMEH | 1,126.7 mm | 1,341.3 mm | — |
| Altiplano Central | Alameda ICTA | 965.2 mm | 1,206.6 mm | — |
| Franja Transversal del Norte | Cobán | 2,116.6 mm | 2,319.3 mm | — |
| Norte | Flores | 1,557.4 mm | 2,309.3 mm | — |
Missing entries are values not given in the study’s text for the corresponding cell; some appear only in a graph. The study reports an annual rainfall increase of 751.9 mm at Flores, in Petén, between the periods.
The two seasons of the year
INSIVUMEH describes two seasons rather than four:
- Rainy season, May to October. According to INSIVUMEH, it generally begins in May; June brings cloudy, rainy days; July and part of August have a dry spell, the canícula; and heavy rains return in September and October to complete the season.
- Dry season, November to April. Cold fronts arrive, temperatures fall and winds strengthen, with northerly winds prevailing, according to INSIVUMEH. The cold period runs from November to February; March and April bring heat waves.
Against that general pattern, INSIVUMEH explains that each region has its own conditions because of its topography, vegetation, geology and soil types. These differences underpin the division into regions.
Six or eight? What INSIVUMEH says
The 2018 study says regional conditions allow six distinct regions to be defined, then lists eight. Later, in its climate-scenarios chapter, it groups the country’s stations “en ocho regiones climáticas” [into eight climate regions]. This page uses the eight regions that the institute describes individually.
And our climate guide
Our climate guide for choosing where to live compares destinations. The official classification presented here is INSIVUMEH’s.
This page uses INSIVUMEH station averages for 1971-2000 and 2001-2014. Cobán’s figures are 2,116.6 mm and 2,319.3 mm; Flores’s are 1,557.4 mm and 2,309.3 mm. For Caribe, the study gives a regional annual rainfall range of 3,230 to 3,726 mm. Keep the source, geographic coverage and averaging period in view when comparing rainfall figures.
Related
- Guatemala weather by region and city, with monthly tables.
- Rainfall radar, the 2026 canícula and the 2026 rainy season.
- The driest region in detail: the Corredor Seco (Dry Corridor).
- The easterly waves that bring rain during the May-to-October season: tropical waves in Guatemala.
Source: INSIVUMEH, Variabilidad y Cambio Climático en Guatemala (February 2018), copy published by FUNCAGUA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Guatemala's climate zones?
INSIVUMEH divides the country into these climate regions: Caribe, Valles de Oriente, Occidente, Boca Costa, Pacífico (Costa del Pacífico), Altiplano Central, Franja Transversal del Norte and Norte. There are eight names, although the institute’s study says six.
Does Guatemala have six or eight climate regions?
INSIVUMEH’s February 2018 study Variabilidad y Cambio Climático en Guatemala says six regions can be defined, then immediately lists eight. Later, the same study groups its stations into eight climate regions. The institute’s list contains eight names.
Which is Guatemala's rainiest region?
According to INSIVUMEH’s February 2018 study, Boca Costa and Franja Transversal del Norte have the country’s highest precipitation levels. Boca Costa averages 3,100 to 4,000 mm of rainfall annually, and its Camantulul station went from 3,510.3 mm (1971-2000) to 4,168.0 mm (2001-2014). The Caribe region ranges from 3,230 to 3,726 mm.
Which is Guatemala's driest region?
Valles de Oriente: most of Zacapa and parts of Chiquimula, El Progreso and Jalapa. INSIVUMEH’s study describes it as the region with the least rainfall in the country, averaging 700 to 1,300 mm annually. The Sierra de las Minas leaves it without moisture.
What seasons does Guatemala have?
INSIVUMEH describes two seasons rather than four: the rainy season, May to October, with a dry spell called the canícula in July and part of August; and the dry season, November to April, with a cold period from November to February brought by cold fronts and heat waves in March and April.
Where is Guatemala coldest?
In the Occidente region. INSIVUMEH describes it as the most mountainous region, with mountains at 2,500 to 3,500 meters and the country’s lowest temperatures in its highest areas. Its Labor Ovalle station averaged 13.6 °C annually in 1971-2000 and 15 °C in 2001-2014.
