Climate
The average temperature in the department of Quetzaltenango varies between 15 and 24 °C (59 and 75 °F), however there is wide variation due to the great difference in altitude in various parts of the department. On the lower Pacific slopes the temperature can reach as high as 35 °C (95 °F), while temperatures as low as −7 °C (19 °F) have been recorded at higher altitudes.
Average annual rainfall is 2,000 millimetres (79 in) in the municipality of Almolonga, and parts of the department at higher altitudes experience frost in the months from November through to March. The municipality of Cantel receives an average annual rainfall that varies between 2,000 and 4,000 millimetres (79 and 160 in); in Huitán it varies between 1,800 and 3,500 millimetres (71 and 140 in).
The year is divided into wet and dry seasons, with most rain falling in July and September. The driest months of the year are December through to February. The department falls within two principal biomes, classified as subtropical moist forest and tropical and subtropical coniferous forest. The former is a lower altitude zone characterised by corozo palms and conacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum). The latter is higher altitude featuring pine, cypress and sycamore.
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