Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, sits in a mountain valley in the south-central highlands of the country at around 990 metres above sea level, ringed by hills at approximately 14.07°N, 87.19°W. Its altitude tempers its tropical latitude to give a mild tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — warm and spring-like — with a distinct dry season and a rainy season, and cooler nights than the Honduran coasts.

There is little seasonal temperature change: it stays warm and pleasant all year, with daytime highs around 28–30°C and mild nights near 16–18°C, thanks to the elevation. The rainy season, from May to October, brings warm mornings that cloud over into heavy afternoon and evening downpours and thunderstorms, with a slight dip in rainfall in July and August — the local 'canicula' — before the rains peak again in September.

There is no true winter, but the dry season from November to April brings warm, sunny days with little rain and cooler nights, dropping toward 14°C in the coolest months. The air is clearer and less humid, though late in the dry season smoke from agricultural burning can haze the valley. This bright, mild stretch is the pleasantest time of year.

Tegucigalpa receives on the order of 900–1,000 mm of rain a year — modest for the tropics, as the surrounding mountains shelter the valley — concentrated in the rainy season from May to October, with peaks in June and September, while the dry season is markedly dry. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Tegucigalpa's steep, mountain-ringed valley makes it far drier and milder than the humid Honduran coasts, but also dangerously exposed to landslides and flash flooding when tropical systems drench the hills — as when Hurricane Mitch devastated the city in 1998, sending the Choluteca River through the historic centre. Rains from Atlantic hurricanes crossing the isthmus remain its chief hazard.

To follow any single measurement in Tegucigalpa more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.