Placencia weather in December

In December, Placencia sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 172 mm of rain across 22.1 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Placencia's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Placencia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
172 mm
22.1 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:19 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
47%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
3.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Placencia is town in Belize.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Placencia reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12624
22624
32624
42624
52624
62624
72624
82624
92624
102624
112624
122624
132624
142624
152624
162624
172624
182624
192624
202624
212624
222624
232624
242624
252624
262624
272624
282624
292624
302624
312624

How December really feels in Placencia

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Placencia weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 24°1602111.15.4
Feb26° / 24°8117.111.45.8
Mar26° / 25°7916.211.96.2
Apr27° / 26°5613.812.46.2
May28° / 27°17020.312.84.8
Jun28° / 27°34326.7133.5
Jul28° / 26°34229.312.93.4
Aug29° / 26°32728.712.63.4
Sep29° / 26°33627.612.13.4
Oct28° / 26°36325.211.64.1
Nov27° / 25°29823.311.24.6
Dec26° / 24°17222.1115.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26634
36634
46733
56733
66832
76832
86931
96931
106931
117030
127030
136931
146931
156931
166931
176931
187030
196931
206931
217030
226931
236931
246931
256931
266931
276931
286931
296832
306832
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Placencia gets around 172 mm of rain over 22.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 72% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
276
376
476
575
675
774
874
973
1073
1172
1272
1372
1471
1571
1671
1770
1870
1970
2069
2169
2269
2369
2469
2570
2670
2770
2870
2970
3070
3170

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 90% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
101622656
201622656
301622656
401622656
501622656
602622646
702622655
812622645
912622645
1012723634
1112723634
1213723624
1313723633
1413723633
1513724623
1613724623
1713724632
1813724632
1913725622
2004725622
2104725622
2204724632
2303824632
2403824632
2503823642
2603823642
2703823642
2803822652
2903922642
3003922642
3103922642

Wind in December

Winds average 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:115:16
211.16:115:16
311.16:125:16
411.16:125:16
511.16:135:17
611.16:135:17
711.16:145:17
811.06:155:17
911.06:155:18
1011.06:165:18
1111.06:165:18
1211.06:175:19
1311.06:175:19
1411.06:185:19
1511.06:185:20
1611.06:195:20
1711.06:205:21
1811.06:205:21
1911.06:215:22
2011.06:215:22
2111.06:225:22
2211.06:225:23
2311.06:225:23
2411.06:235:24
2511.06:235:24
2611.06:245:25
2711.06:245:25
2811.06:255:26
2911.06:255:26
3011.06:255:27
3111.06:265:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.88 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.88 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.9Moderate
183.9Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Placencia

In seasonPeak

In December, Placencia sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Placencia sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Placencia's rainy season runs May–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Placencia?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Placencia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Placencia in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Placencia sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 22 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Placencia in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in September at about 30°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Placencia in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Placencia peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 16UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Placencia in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Placencia is worst in July — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.4× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1228 µg/m³Dec 145 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr20Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Placencia?

Placencia sits at 16.5°N, 88.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Belize. The nearest listed city is Hopkins, 40 km away.

HopkinsDangrigaPunta GordaLívingstonOmoaPuerto CortesPuerto BarriosBelmopan

Topography around Placencia

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Placencia.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Placencia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 37 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,120 m.

The land around Placencia is covered by water (87%) within 3 km, water (64%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and water (58%) and trees (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
9 m
16 km
37 m
80 km
1,120 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Hopkins 40 km · Dangriga 53 km · Punta Gorda 66 km · Lívingston 87 km · Omoa 89 km · Puerto Cortes 90 km · Puerto Barrios 91 km · Belmopan 92 km

Belize travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / G
110 / 220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 53% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,865
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
28.1
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 40%Protestant 32%none 16%other 11%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Placencia (16.5142°, -88.3665°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).