Editing Guatemala City (section)

==Climate==
Despite its location in the tropics, Guatemala City has a monsoon [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cwa''){{citation needed|date=February 2025}} due to its relatively high altitude which moderate the average temperatures. Guatemala City is generally very warm, almost springlike, throughout the course of the year.

It occasionally gets hot during the dry season, but not as hot and humid as in Central American cities at sea level. The hottest month is April. The rainy season extends from May to October, coinciding with the tropical storm and hurricane season in the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, while the dry season extends from November to April. The city can at times be windy, which also leads to lower [[ambient temperature]]s.

The city's average annual temperature ranges are {{convert|22|-|28|C|1}} during the day and {{convert|12|-|17|C|1}} at night; its average [[relative humidity]] is 82% in the morning and 58% in the evening; and its average [[dew point]] is {{convert|16|C|1}}.<ref name="weatherbase.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=14687&refer=&units=metric |title=Guatemala City, Guatemala Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase) |work=Weatherbase |access-date=17 September 2009 |archive-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113054055/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=14687&refer=&units=metric |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto|location = Guatemala City (1990–2011)
|metric first = yes
|single line  = yes
|Jan record high C = 30.0
|Feb record high C = 32.1
|Mar record high C = 32.0
|Apr record high C = 33.9
|May record high C = 33.9
|Jun record high C = 31.2
|Jul record high C = 29.1
|Aug record high C = 30.2
|Sep record high C = 29.8
|Oct record high C = 28.6
|Nov record high C = 29.9
|Dec record high C = 28.8
|year record high C = 33.9
|Jan high C = 24.3
|Feb high C = 25.8
|Mar high C = 26.8
|Apr high C = 27.8
|May high C = 27.1
|Jun high C = 25.8
|Jul high C = 25.4
|Aug high C = 25.5
|Sep high C = 25.1
|Oct high C = 24.7
|Nov high C = 24.2
|Dec high C = 23.9
|year high C = 25.5
|Jan mean C = 17.7
|Feb mean C = 19.7
|Mar mean C = 20.4
|Apr mean C = 22.9
|May mean C = 23.7
|Jun mean C = 22.6
|Jul mean C = 20.8
|Aug mean C = 21.0
|Sep mean C = 20.7
|Oct mean C = 20.3
|Nov mean C = 19.4
|Dec mean C = 17.4
|year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 13.2
|Feb low C = 13.6
|Mar low C = 14.6
|Apr low C = 16.0
|May low C = 16.8
|Jun low C = 16.8
|Jul low C = 16.3
|Aug low C = 16.5
|Sep low C = 16.4
|Oct low C = 16.0
|Nov low C = 14.7
|Dec low C = 13.7
|year low C = 15.4
|Jan record low C = 6.0
|Feb record low C = 6.8
|Mar record low C = 7.0
|Apr record low C = 8.6
|May record low C = 12.3
|Jun record low C = 11.2
|Jul record low C = 12.1
|Aug record low C = 13.5
|Sep record low C = 13.0
|Oct record low C = 11.4
|Nov record low C = 9.4
|Dec record low C = 7.6
|year record low C = 6.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 2.8
|Feb rain mm = 5.4
|Mar rain mm = 6.0
|Apr rain mm = 31.0
|May rain mm = 128.9
|Jun rain mm = 271.8
|Jul rain mm = 202.6
|Aug rain mm = 202.7
|Sep rain mm = 236.6
|Oct rain mm = 131.6
|Nov rain mm = 48.8
|Dec rain mm = 6.6
|Jan rain days = 1.68
|Feb rain days = 1.45
|Mar rain days = 2.00
|Apr rain days = 4.73
|May rain days = 12.36
|Jun rain days = 21.14
|Jul rain days = 18.59
|Aug rain days = 19.04
|Sep rain days = 20.82
|Oct rain days = 14.59
|Nov rain days = 6.18
|Dec rain days = 2.64
|Jan sun = 248.4
|Feb sun = 236.2
|Mar sun = 245.6
|Apr sun = 237.9
|May sun = 184.4
|Jun sun = 155.3
|Jul sun = 183.4
|Aug sun = 191.8
|Sep sun = 159.0
|Oct sun = 178.0
|Nov sun = 211.7
|Dec sun = 209.2
|Jan humidity = 74.3
|Feb humidity = 73.4
|Mar humidity = 73.2
|Apr humidity = 74.3
|May humidity = 77.3
|Jun humidity = 82.4
|Jul humidity = 80.8
|Aug humidity = 80.9
|Sep humidity = 84.5
|Oct humidity = 82.0
|Nov humidity = 79.2
|Dec humidity = 76.0
|year humidity = 77.8
|source 1 = [[Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia]]<ref name=Insivumeh>{{cite web |url=http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/meteorologia/ESTACIONES/GUATEMALA/INSIVUMEH%20PARAMETROS.htm |title=Ministerio de comunicaciones Infraestructura y Vivienda |access-date=25 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604092515/http://www.insivumeh.gob.gt/meteorologia/ESTACIONES/GUATEMALA/INSIVUMEH%20PARAMETROS.htm |archive-date=4 June 2012 }}</ref> |date=July 2014}}

===Volcanic activity===
Four [[stratovolcanoes]] are visible from the city, two of them active. The nearest and most active is [[Pacaya]], which at times erupts a considerable amount of ash.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/central_america/guatemala/pacaya/gvn/sepgvn.html |title=MTU-VP Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala |publisher=Geo.mtu.edu |date=1 June 1995 |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-date=4 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204191139/http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/central_america/guatemala/pacaya/gvn/sepgvn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> These volcanoes lie to the south of the Valle de la Ermita, providing a natural barrier between Guatemala City and the Pacific lowlands that define the southern regions of Guatemala. [[Volcán de Agua|Agua]], [[Volcán de Fuego|Fuego]], [[Pacaya]], and [[Acatenango]] comprise a line of 33 stratovolcanoes that stretches across the breadth of Guatemala, from the Salvadorian border to the Mexican border.

===Earthquakes===
{{See also|1917 Guatemala earthquake|1976 Guatemala earthquake}}

Lying on the [[Ring of Fire]], the Guatemalan highlands and the Valle de la Ermita are frequently shaken by large earthquakes. The last large tremor to hit the Guatemala City region occurred in the 1976, on the [[Motagua Fault]], a left-lateral [[Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults|strike-slip]] fault that forms the boundary between the [[Caribbean Plate]] and the [[North American Plate]]. The [[1976 Guatemala earthquake|1976 event]] registered 7.5 on the [[moment magnitude scale]]. Smaller, less severe tremors are frequently felt in Guatemala City and environs.

===Mudslides===
Torrential downpours, similar to the more famous monsoons, occur frequently in the Valle de la Ermita during the rainy season, leading to flash floods that sometimes inundate the city. Due to these heavy rainfalls, some of the slums perched on the steep edges of the canyons that criss-cross the Valle de la Ermita are washed away and buried under mudslides, as in October 2005.<ref>{{cite web |last=Carlos |first=Juan |date=7 October 2005 |title=Mudslide in Guatemala kills dozens |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051007/news_1n7stan.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113053211/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051007/news_1n7stan.html |archive-date=13 November 2011 |access-date=8 July 2009 |work=San Diego Union-Tribune }}</ref> Tropical waves, tropical storms and hurricanes sometimes strike the Guatemalan highlands, which also bring torrential rains to the Guatemala City region and trigger these deadly mudslides.

===Piping pseudokarst===
[[File:Guatemala city sinkhole 2007 composite view.jpg|center|thumb|upright=3.0|2007 Sinkhole]]
[[File:Guatemala City 2010 sinkhole 1.jpg|thumb|The 2010 sinkhole in Zona 2]]
In February [[2007 Guatemala City sinkhole|2007, a very large, deep circular hole]] with vertical walls opened in northeastern Guatemala City ({{Coord|14|39|2|N|90|29|25|W}}), killing five people. This sinkhole, which is classified by geologists as either a "[[piping feature]]" or "[[piping pseudokarst]]", was {{convert|100|m}} deep, and apparently was created by fluid from a [[sanitary sewer|sewer]] eroding the loose [[volcanic ash]], [[limestone]], and other [[Pyroclastic rock|pyroclastic]] deposits that underlie Guatemala City.{{sfn|Waltham|2008|pp=291–300}}{{sfn|Halliday|2007|pp=103–113}} As a result, one thousand people were evacuated from the area.<ref>{{cite news |author=David L Miller |date=4 July 2009 |title=Massive Guatemala Sinkhole Kills 2 Teens |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/massive-guatemala-sinkhole-kills-2-teens/ |url-status=live |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225092239/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/23/world/main2508879.shtml |archive-date=25 February 2007 }}</ref> This piping feature has since been mitigated by City Hall by providing proper maintenance to the sewerage collection system,{{sfn|Municipalidad de Guatemala|2014|p=}} and plans to develop the site have been proposed. However, critics believe municipal authorities have neglected needed maintenance on the city's aging [[sewerage]] system, and have speculated that more dangerous piping features are likely to develop unless action is taken.<ref>{{cite web |author=Constantino Diaz-Duran |date=1 June 2010 |title=Sinkhole in Guatemala City Might Not Be the Last |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-01/sinkhole-in-guatemala-city-might-not-be-the-last/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603192740/http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-01/sinkhole-in-guatemala-city-might-not-be-the-last/ |archive-date=3 June 2010 |access-date=3 June 2010 |website=The Daily Beast }}</ref>

3 years later the [[2010 Guatemala City sinkhole]] arose.