Bacalar weather in December

In December, Bacalar sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 39 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bacalar's 5th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bacalar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
39 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:23 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
48%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Bacalar is city of Quintana Roo State, Mexico.

Founded
1545

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Bacalar reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12920
22920
32920
42920
52920
62920
72920
82920
92920
102920
112920
122920
132920
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222820
232820
242820
252820
262820
272820
282820
292820
302820
312820

How December really feels in Bacalar

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.

Bacalar weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 20°379.8116.1
Feb30° / 20°195.711.45.8
Mar31° / 21°235.311.95.2
Apr33° / 23°356.612.44.2
May33° / 24°8514.312.93.2
Jun32° / 25°17521.413.12.9
Jul32° / 25°10620.1133.0
Aug33° / 24°14522.412.62.7
Sep32° / 24°16524.912.12.5
Oct31° / 23°15220.611.63.5
Nov29° / 21°7212.911.15.0
Dec29° / 20°3910.410.95.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27129
37228
47228
57327
67327
77327
87327
97327
107129
117129
127129
137030
147030
156931
166931
176931
186832
196832
206733
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266733
276733
286733
296733
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bacalar gets around 39 mm of rain over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
234
334
433
533
633
733
833
933
1034
1134
1234
1334
1435
1535
1635
1735
1835
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2932
3032
3132

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 79% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1031324546
2031325536
3031325536
4041225536
5041225536
6141225526
7151125526
8151125526
9161125525
10161125525
11261125515
12271125505
13271225505
14271225505
15271224495
16281324495
17281324485
18281324475
19281324475
20291425465
21291425465
22291425455
23291425455
24291425455
25191525465
26191425464
27191425464
28191425464
29291425464
30291425464
31291425463

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:155:12
210.96:155:12
310.96:165:12
410.96:165:13
510.96:175:13
610.96:185:13
710.96:185:13
810.96:195:14
910.96:195:14
1010.96:205:14
1110.96:215:14
1210.96:215:15
1310.96:225:15
1410.96:225:15
1510.96:235:16
1610.96:235:16
1710.96:245:17
1810.96:245:17
1910.96:255:17
2010.96:255:18
2110.96:265:18
2210.96:265:19
2310.96:275:19
2410.96:275:20
2510.96:285:20
2610.96:285:21
2710.96:285:21
2810.96:295:22
2910.96:295:22
3010.96:305:23
3110.96:305:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.8 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.8 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
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.8Moderate
143.8Moderate
153.8Moderate
163.8Moderate
173.8Moderate
183.8Moderate
193.8Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bacalar

In seasonPeak

None of Bacalar's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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

Bacalar's rainy season runs May–October, 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 Bacalar?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Bacalar in December

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

In December, Bacalar sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Bacalar 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 29 km away) is warmest in September at about 30°C and coldest in January near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Bacalar in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bacalar peaks around April 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 highApr 12UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Bacalar 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 Bacalar is worst in June — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2130 µg/m³Dec 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr19Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bacalar?

Bacalar sits at 18.7°N, 88.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Chetumal, 20 km away.

Topography around Bacalar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bacalar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 64 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Bacalar is covered by trees (41%) and water (33%) within 3 km, trees (72%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
64 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Chetumal 20 km · Orange Walk 69 km · San Pedro 96 km · Crooked Tree 102 km · Felipe Carrillo Puerto 106 km · Caye Caulker 112 km · Belize City 133 km · Belmopan 163 km

Mexico travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 / 127 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 54% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,889
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
24.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 440
Religion
Catholic 78%no religion 11%other Evangelical Churches 8%Jehovah Witness 1%

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 Bacalar (18.6811°, -88.3933°, 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).