Bacalar weather in January

In January, Bacalar sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 37 mm of rain across 9.8 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 44% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Bacalar's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bacalar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
12th warmest
Overnight low
20°
1st coldest
Rainfall
37 mm
9.8 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:33 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
48%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical January day in Bacalar reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 9°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, January runs on par with December and about 1°C cooler than February.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42820
52820
62820
72820
82820
92819
102819
112819
122819
132819
142819
152819
162819
172819
182819
192819
202819
212819
222819
232819
242819
252819
262920
272920
282920
292920
302920
312920

How January really feels in Bacalar

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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

January 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 January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 9th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26733
36832
46832
56931
66931
77030
87030
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147129
157129
167129
177129
187030
197030
207030
217030
226931
236931
246931
256931
267129
277129
287228
297228
307426
317426

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Bacalar gets around 37 mm of rain over 9.8 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
533
633
733
833
933
1033
1132
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1931
2031
2131
2230
2330
2430
2529
2629
2728
2828
2927
3027
3126

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 71% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1291426463
2291426453
3391426453
4391426453
5391427442
6391527432
7491527432
84101528422
94101628412
104101628402
114101728391
124101728391
134111728381
145111828381
154111828381
164111828381
174111828381
184111828381
194111828381
204111829381
214101829380
223101830390
233101830390
24391830400
25391731400
26391731410
27281631420
28281632430
29281532430
30271532440
31271532440

Wind in January

Winds average 9 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 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
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 6:32 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:305:24
210.96:305:24
310.96:315:25
410.96:315:25
510.96:315:26
610.96:315:26
710.96:325:27
810.96:325:28
910.96:325:28
1010.96:325:29
1110.96:335:29
1211.06:335:30
1311.06:335:31
1411.06:335:31
1511.06:335:32
1611.06:335:33
1711.06:335:33
1811.06:335:34
1911.06:335:34
2011.06:335:35
2111.06:335:36
2211.06:335:36
2311.16:335:37
2411.16:335:37
2511.16:335:38
2611.16:335:39
2711.16:335:39
2811.16:335:40
2911.16:335:40
3011.16:325:41
3111.26:325:42

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 3.92 kWh/m².

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 — January's 3.92 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.9Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
204.0Moderate
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Bacalar

In seasonPeak

None of Bacalar's seasonal hazards are active in January. 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 January a good time to visit Bacalar?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January 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 January

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

In January, Bacalar sees daytime highs around 28°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 January

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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 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 January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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