Placencia in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Placencia sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 412 mm of rain over about 60 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Placencia's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. Placencia has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Placencia's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°C
- Rainfall
- 412 mm
- 60 wet days
- Avg wind
- 18 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.4
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Placencia in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in Placencia reaches about 26°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Placencia
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter 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 the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25° / 24° | 160 | 21 | 11.1 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 26° / 24° | 81 | 17.1 | 11.4 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 26° / 25° | 79 | 16.2 | 11.9 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 27° / 26° | 56 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 6.2 |
| May | 28° / 27° | 170 | 20.3 | 12.8 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 28° / 27° | 343 | 26.7 | 13 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 28° / 26° | 342 | 29.3 | 12.9 | 3.4 |
| Aug | 29° / 26° | 327 | 28.7 | 12.6 | 3.4 |
| Sep | 29° / 26° | 336 | 27.6 | 12.1 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 28° / 26° | 363 | 25.2 | 11.6 | 4.1 |
| Nov | 27° / 25° | 298 | 23.3 | 11.2 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 26° / 24° | 172 | 22.1 | 11 | 5.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Placencia gets around 412 mm of rain over 60 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 18 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Placencia
In winter, Placencia overlaps 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.
Is winter a good time to visit Placencia?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Placencia for sightseeing.
What to pack for Placencia in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Placencia sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 60 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Placencia in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 28 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 30 | Tropical |
| Sep | 30 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in Placencia in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Very high |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 8 | Very high |
Air quality in Placencia in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 19 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 23 | Moderate |
| Jun | 26 | Moderate |
| Jul | 29 | Moderate |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
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.
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.
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
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.