Placencia weather in May

In May, Placencia sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 170 mm of rain across 20.3 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Placencia's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Placencia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
170 mm
20.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:27 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
54%
6th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Placencia is town in Belize.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Placencia reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12827
22827
32827
42827
52827
62827
72827
82827
92827
102827
112827
122827
132827
142827
152827
162827
172827
182827
192827
202827
212827
222827
232827
242827
252827
262827
272827
282827
292827
302827
312827

How May really feels in Placencia

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 25 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
25
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Placencia weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27030
36931
46832
56832
66733
76733
86634
96535
106436
116337
126238
136040
146040
155941
165743
175644
185446
195347
205149
215050
224951
234753
244654
254456
264357
274159
284060
293862
303763
313664

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Placencia gets around 170 mm of rain over 20.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 65% and peaks near 78% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
253
354
455
556
657
758
859
960
1061
1162
1263
1363
1464
1565
1665
1766
1867
1968
2068
2169
2270
2371
2472
2573
2674
2775
2876
2976
3077
3178

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
134057
233958
333859
433760
533760
623761
723761
823761
923761
1023761
1123761
1223761
1323761
1423761
1523761
1623662
1723662
1823662
1913564
2013465
2113465
2213366
2313267
2413069
2512970
2612871
2712772
2802575
2902476
3002377
3102377

Wind in May

Winds average 18 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of May to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:336:08
212.65:336:09
312.65:326:09
412.65:326:09
512.65:316:09
612.75:316:10
712.75:306:10
812.75:306:10
912.75:296:11
1012.75:296:11
1112.75:286:11
1212.75:286:11
1312.75:286:12
1412.75:276:12
1512.85:276:12
1612.85:276:13
1712.85:266:13
1812.85:266:13
1912.85:266:14
2012.85:266:14
2112.85:256:14
2212.85:256:15
2312.85:256:15
2412.85:256:16
2512.95:246:16
2612.95:246:16
2712.95:246:17
2812.95:246:17
2912.95:246:17
3012.95:246:18
3112.95:246:18

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.09 kWh/m².

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 — May's 6.09 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Placencia

In seasonPeak

In May, 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 May a good time to visit Placencia?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Placencia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Placencia in May

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

In May, Placencia sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Placencia in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).