Retalhuleu

Retalhuleu
Retalhuleu
Municipality and city
	Retalhuleu Location in Guatemala
	Coordinates: 14°32′N 91°41′W / 14.533°N 91.683°W
Country	Guatemala
Department	Retalhuleu
Area
• Municipality and city	305 sq mi (791 km2)
Elevation	761 ft (232 m)
Population (2018 census)
• Municipality and city	90,505
• Density	300/sq mi (110/km2)
• Urban	90,505
Climate	Am

The city of Retalhuleu (Spanish pronunciation: [retaluˈlew]) is situated in south-western Guatemala. It is the departmental seat of Retalhuleu Department as well as the municipal seat of Retalhuleu Municipality.

Retalhuleu stands at about 240 metres above sea level. The city has a population of 90,505 (2018 census).^[2] Locally it is nicknamed "Reu."

History

The city played a role in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. For a number of recruits, infantry training was carried out at a CIA-run base code-named JMTrax. The base was on the Pacific coast of Guatemala between Quetzaltenango and Retalhuleu, in the Helvetia coffee plantation.^[3] In summer 1960, an airfield (code-named JMadd, aka Rayo Base) was constructed near Retalhuleu, Guatemala.^[3] ^[4] In November 1960, the Retalhuleu recruits also took part in quelling an officers' rebellion in Guatemala, in addition to the intervention of the U.S. Navy.^[5]

On August 7 and 8, 2021, Retalhuleu was severely affected by rain, which lasted for 36 hours and caused landslides, floods and other damages to Retalhuleu and other Guatemalan cities.^[6] (in Spanish)

Sports

The local football club is Deportivo Reu which was founded in 2013 after Juventud Retalteca became defunct. Deportivo Reu play their local games at the Estadio Dr. Óscar Monterroso Izaguirre in the Primera División de Ascenso.

Climate

Puerto San José has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am) with a very rainy wet season from April to November, and a dry season from December to March.

Climate data for Retalhuleu (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	35.8 (96.4)	37.4 (99.3)	36.6 (97.9)	38.0 (100.4)	37.0 (98.6)	35.6 (96.1)	35.8 (96.4)	36.0 (96.8)	35.0 (95.0)	34.3 (93.7)	36.4 (97.5)	35.0 (95.0)	38.0 (100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	33.3 (91.9)	33.5 (92.3)	33.8 (92.8)	34.0 (93.2)	33.2 (91.8)	32.5 (90.5)	32.8 (91.0)	32.9 (91.2)	32.5 (90.5)	32.3 (90.1)	32.8 (91.0)	33.2 (91.8)	33.1 (91.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	27.1 (80.8)	27.7 (81.9)	28.3 (82.9)	28.7 (83.7)	28.0 (82.4)	27.2 (81.0)	27.3 (81.1)	27.3 (81.1)	26.6 (79.9)	26.6 (79.9)	27.0 (80.6)	27.0 (80.6)	27.4 (81.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	20.7 (69.3)	21.0 (69.8)	21.6 (70.9)	22.4 (72.3)	22.5 (72.5)	22.3 (72.1)	22.0 (71.6)	22.1 (71.8)	22.0 (71.6)	21.9 (71.4)	21.5 (70.7)	21.0 (69.8)	21.8 (71.2)
Record low °C (°F)	18.0 (64.4)	18.3 (64.9)	18.0 (64.4)	19.9 (67.8)	19.6 (67.3)	20.0 (68.0)	19.0 (66.2)	18.5 (65.3)	20.4 (68.7)	19.6 (67.3)	18.9 (66.0)	17.7 (63.9)	17.7 (63.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	11.4 (0.45)	11.0 (0.43)	38.8 (1.53)	143.0 (5.63)	452.6 (17.82)	476.4 (18.76)	343.5 (13.52)	395.9 (15.59)	527.0 (20.75)	503.3 (19.81)	144.4 (5.69)	37.9 (1.49)	3,085.2 (121.46)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	1.2	1.1	3.4	8.4	18.8	20.1	19.3	20.0	22.9	20.8	8.1	2.2	146.3
Source: NOAA^[7]