Belem in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Belem sees average daytime highs around 34°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 3 mm of rain over about 1 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Belem's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Belem's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
34°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
21°C
Rainfall
3 mm
1 wet days
Avg wind
10 km/h
Travel score
4.1
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Belem in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 34°C.

A typical winter day in Belem reaches about 34°C and drops to 21°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Belem

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 90 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
90
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Belem 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 21°00.111.44.4
Feb34° / 22°10.111.63.6
Mar35° / 23°0011.93.3
Apr35° / 24°0012.33.6
May33° / 25°61.312.54.1
Jun32° / 26°871212.73.8
Jul30° / 25°35227.812.63.0
Aug29° / 25°45229.312.42.9
Sep30° / 25°30727.712.12.8
Oct31° / 25°1422211.73.2
Nov33° / 24°234.611.54.2
Dec33° / 22°20.311.34.4

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Belem gets around 3 mm of rain over 1 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 10 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.7 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Belem

In seasonPeak

In winter, Belem overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

Belem's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Belem sees seasonal dust haze (February–June), heaviest in June.

Atlantic hurricane
Monsoon
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Belem?

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.

4.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Belem for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Belem in Winter

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

In winter, Belem sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Belem in Winter

The nearest coast averages about 26°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 26 km away) is warmest in November at about 29°C and coldest in February near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Belem in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Belem peaks around August 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 18UV 13Dec 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Belem in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Belem is worst in February — around 86 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.5× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorFeb 1884 µg/m³Aug 2116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan63Unhealthy
Feb86Unhealthy
Mar76Unhealthy
Apr51Poor
May53Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul24Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct35Moderate
Nov45Poor
Dec58Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Belem?

Belem sits at 11.9°N, 15.6°W, 47 m above sea level, in Guinea-Bissau. The nearest listed city is Reino de Bandim, 0.0 km away.

Topography around Belem

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Belem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 13 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 61 m.

The land around Belem is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) within 3 km, water (45%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
48 m
80 km
61 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
Winter weather nearby: Reino de Bandim 0.0 km · Missira 1.0 km · Sintra-Nema 1.0 km · Bissau 1.0 km · Contumo 2.0 km · Bairro Militar 3.0 km · Luanda 3.0 km · Quelele 4.0 km

Guinea-Bissau travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,124
2025
Safe drinking water
24%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
32.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 46%folk religions 31%Christian 19%other or unaffiliated 4%

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 Belem (11.8534°, -15.603°, elevation 47 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.