Climate and average weather in Palenque
In Palenque, the summers are muggy, sweltering, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are warm and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Palenque typically varies from 18°C to 35°C, and is rarely below 14°C or above 39°C. May is the hottest month of the year, while January is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Palenque for warm-weather activities are from early January to early March and mid November to late December.
- Hottest
- May
- 35°
- Coldest
- Jan
- 18°
- Wettest
- Sep
- 227 mm
- Driest
- Mar
- 52 mm
- Rain / yr
- 1544 mm
- 169 wet days
- Daylight
- 11.0–13.0 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 94 m
- 17.5°N
- Clearest
- Mar
- 34% cloud
Palenque is municipal seat of Palenque, State of Chiapas, Mexico.
- Founded
- 1567
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Palenque weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to early March.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Palenque, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 2.7 months, from March 28 to June 17, with daily high temperatures above 33°C. The hottest month of the year in Palenque is May, with an average high of 35°C and low of 24°C.
The cool season lasts 3.0 months, from November 14 to February 11, with daily high temperatures below 29°C. The coldest month of the year in Palenque is January, with an average low of 18°C and high of 27°C.
Days typically run about 10°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 12°C) in April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 27 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Avg low (°C) | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 18 |
| Feb | 29 | 19 |
| Mar | 32 | 20 |
| Apr | 34 | 22 |
| May | 35 | 24 |
| Jun | 33 | 24 |
| Jul | 33 | 23 |
| Aug | 33 | 23 |
| Sep | 32 | 23 |
| Oct | 30 | 22 |
| Nov | 29 | 20 |
| Dec | 28 | 19 |
How hot and cold Palenque really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Palenque feels like about 39°C (around May 21). About 240 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 28 | 30 | 33 | 37 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 38 | 36 | 34 | 31 | 29 |
| Air high (°C) | 27 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| Air low (°C) | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 27 | 18 | 18 |
| Feb | 30 | 29 | 19 | 19 |
| Mar | 33 | 32 | 20 | 20 |
| Apr | 37 | 34 | 22 | 22 |
| May | 39 | 35 | 24 | 24 |
| Jun | 38 | 33 | 24 | 24 |
| Jul | 37 | 33 | 23 | 23 |
| Aug | 38 | 33 | 23 | 23 |
| Sep | 36 | 32 | 23 | 23 |
| Oct | 34 | 30 | 22 | 22 |
| Nov | 31 | 29 | 20 | 20 |
| Dec | 29 | 28 | 19 | 19 |
Average hourly temperature in Palenque
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on May afternoons, near 35°C, and coldest before dawn in January, near 18°C.
Palenque weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 18° | 106 | 10.8 | 11.1 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 29° / 19° | 64 | 7.3 | 11.4 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 32° / 20° | 52 | 6.2 | 11.9 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 34° / 22° | 58 | 6.6 | 12.4 | 3.2 |
| May | 35° / 24° | 95 | 11.6 | 12.8 | 2.5 |
| Jun | 33° / 24° | 218 | 21.2 | 13 | 2.4 |
| Jul | 33° / 23° | 124 | 17.3 | 12.9 | 2.8 |
| Aug | 33° / 23° | 173 | 21.2 | 12.6 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 32° / 23° | 227 | 25.3 | 12.1 | 2.6 |
| Oct | 30° / 22° | 196 | 19.1 | 11.6 | 3.9 |
| Nov | 29° / 20° | 138 | 13.1 | 11.2 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 28° / 19° | 94 | 9.5 | 11 | 6.7 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Palenque gets about 1544 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is very wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.6 months, from around May 24 to Nov 10, peaking in September at about 84% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Mar 21.
September is the wettest month by volume, with 227 mm over about 25 wet days; March is the driest, with 52 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 34 | 26 | 20 | 22 | 39 | 68 | 57 | 68 | 83 | 64 | 43 | 32 |
| Rain days | 11 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 13 | 10 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 11 |
| Feb | 26 | 7 |
| Mar | 20 | 6 |
| Apr | 22 | 7 |
| May | 39 | 12 |
| Jun | 68 | 21 |
| Jul | 57 | 17 |
| Aug | 68 | 21 |
| Sep | 83 | 25 |
| Oct | 64 | 19 |
| Nov | 43 | 13 |
| Dec | 32 | 10 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Palenque collects about 1544 mm of rain across 169 wet days — roughly 129 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. September is the wettest month with 227 mm, while March is the driest at just 52 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 42% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 106 | 64 | 52 | 58 | 95 | 218 | 124 | 173 | 227 | 196 | 138 | 94 |
| Rain days | 11 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 13 | 10 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 106 | 11 |
| Feb | 64 | 7 |
| Mar | 52 | 6 |
| Apr | 58 | 7 |
| May | 95 | 12 |
| Jun | 218 | 21 |
| Jul | 124 | 17 |
| Aug | 173 | 21 |
| Sep | 227 | 25 |
| Oct | 196 | 19 |
| Nov | 138 | 13 |
| Dec | 94 | 10 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Palenque, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around November 4 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around May 21. The clearest month is March, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 78% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around May 22 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around November 3. The cloudiest month is September, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 71% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 65 | 75 | 78 | 78 | 59 | 34 | 45 | 40 | 29 | 40 | 62 | 65 |
| Cloudier (%) | 35 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 41 | 66 | 55 | 60 | 71 | 60 | 38 | 35 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 35 |
| Feb | 75 | 25 |
| Mar | 78 | 22 |
| Apr | 78 | 22 |
| May | 59 | 41 |
| Jun | 34 | 66 |
| Jul | 45 | 55 |
| Aug | 40 | 60 |
| Sep | 29 | 71 |
| Oct | 40 | 60 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 |
| Dec | 65 | 35 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around May 30, brings about 13 hours of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 11 hours — a swing of roughly 2 hours.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 11.1 | 11.4 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 12.8 | 13.0 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 12.1 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 11.0 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:45 | 6:40 | 6:21 | 5:56 | 5:40 | 5:37 | 5:45 | 5:54 | 5:59 | 6:05 | 6:18 | 6:35 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:49 | 6:05 | 6:14 | 6:20 | 6:29 | 6:39 | 6:42 | 6:30 | 6:05 | 5:41 | 5:28 | 5:33 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11.1 | 6:45 | 5:49 |
| Feb | 11.4 | 6:40 | 6:05 |
| Mar | 11.9 | 6:21 | 6:14 |
| Apr | 12.4 | 5:56 | 6:20 |
| May | 12.8 | 5:40 | 6:29 |
| Jun | 13.0 | 5:37 | 6:39 |
| Jul | 12.9 | 5:45 | 6:42 |
| Aug | 12.6 | 5:54 | 6:30 |
| Sep | 12.1 | 5:59 | 6:05 |
| Oct | 11.6 | 6:05 | 5:41 |
| Nov | 11.2 | 6:18 | 5:28 |
| Dec | 11.0 | 6:35 | 5:33 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Palenque averages about 12 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 4 and 19 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.3 months, from around Nov 8 to May 19. The sunniest month is February, with roughly 18 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is September, down near 4 sunny days — about 76% fewer than the February peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 14 |
| Sky | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Mixed |
| Feb | 17 | Bright |
| Mar | 19 | Bright |
| Apr | 18 | Bright |
| May | 12 | Mixed |
| Jun | 6 | Gloomy |
| Jul | 8 | Gloomy |
| Aug | 7 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 4 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 6 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 12 | Mixed |
| Dec | 14 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
Palenque is humid all year round — on a typical day the air feels at least humid, and there is no real dry season to wait for.
The stickiest month is May, when it feels muggy, oppressive or miserable about 95% of the time. Even in January, the mildest month, the air is dry or comfortable only 8% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Comfortable (%) | 7 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Humid (%) | 25 | 24 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 19 |
| Muggy (%) | 58 | 59 | 54 | 43 | 34 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 41 | 59 |
| Oppressive (%) | 9 | 11 | 17 | 38 | 56 | 71 | 76 | 76 | 80 | 74 | 44 | 18 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1 | 7 | 25 | 58 | 9 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 5 | 24 | 59 | 11 | 0 |
| Mar | 1 | 6 | 22 | 54 | 17 | 1 |
| Apr | 0 | 2 | 14 | 43 | 38 | 2 |
| May | 0 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 56 | 5 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 71 | 16 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 76 | 5 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 76 | 9 |
| Sep | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 80 | 17 |
| Oct | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 74 | 8 |
| Nov | 0 | 2 | 12 | 41 | 44 | 1 |
| Dec | 0 | 5 | 19 | 59 | 18 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Wind in Palenque is steady company: average speeds sit near 6 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 6 | calm |
| Jun | 6 | calm |
| Jul | 7 | calm |
| Aug | 6 | calm |
| Sep | 5 | calm |
| Oct | 5 | calm |
| Nov | 6 | calm |
| Dec | 6 | calm |
Best time to visit Palenque
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Palenque throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late February, Palenque is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Palenque for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid November to early March, with a peak score in the third week of January.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 6.7 | 6.1 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 6.6 |
| Rating | good | good | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.7 | good |
| Feb | 6.1 | good |
| Mar | 4.8 | fair |
| Apr | 3.2 | poor |
| May | 2.5 | poor |
| Jun | 2.5 | poor |
| Jul | 2.8 | poor |
| Aug | 2.5 | poor |
| Sep | 2.6 | poor |
| Oct | 3.9 | fair |
| Nov | 5.5 | fair |
| Dec | 6.6 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Palenque for hot-weather activities is from early November to late April, with a peak score in the third week of February.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Palenque, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around May (highs near 35°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around January (highs near 27°C), pack light clothes and rain gear.
In May, Palenque sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Palenque by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palenque peaks around April 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (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) | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | Very high |
Average hourly UV index in Palenque
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in April the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 6.5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 3.5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6.5 | 6 | 5 | 3.5 | 3 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 7 | 5 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 8 | 6 |
| May | 7 | 4 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6 |
| Aug | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 7 | 5 |
| Nov | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 6 | 3 |
Air quality in Palenque by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Palenque is worst in April — around 80 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.5× the cleanest month (December, 12 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) | 13 | 14 | 20 | 80 | 77 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 12 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Unhealthy | Unhealthy | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Moderate |
| Feb | 14 | Moderate |
| Mar | 20 | Moderate |
| Apr | 80 | Unhealthy |
| May | 77 | Unhealthy |
| Jun | 27 | Moderate |
| Jul | 26 | Moderate |
| Aug | 22 | Moderate |
| Sep | 21 | Moderate |
| Oct | 17 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 12 | Moderate |
Growing season
Palenque is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Palenque banks about 5,923 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 387 | 385 | 491 | 548 | 596 | 552 | 561 | 560 | 516 | 495 | 426 | 404 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 387 |
| Feb | 385 |
| Mar | 491 |
| Apr | 548 |
| May | 596 |
| Jun | 552 |
| Jul | 561 |
| Aug | 560 |
| Sep | 516 |
| Oct | 495 |
| Nov | 426 |
| Dec | 404 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Palenque receives about 5.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.9 and 6.7 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Feb 25 to Sep 13. The brightest month is April, averaging about 6.6 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 4.0 kWh/m² — roughly 40% less than the April peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| Level | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.1 | Bright |
| Feb | 5.0 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.9 | Bright |
| Apr | 6.6 | Intense |
| May | 6.5 | Intense |
| Jun | 5.8 | Bright |
| Jul | 6.3 | Intense |
| Aug | 6.1 | Intense |
| Sep | 5.2 | Bright |
| Oct | 4.6 | Bright |
| Nov | 4.2 | Bright |
| Dec | 4.0 | Moderate |
Where is Palenque?
Palenque sits at 17.5°N, 92.0°W, 94 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Emiliano Zapata, 34 km away.
Topography around Palenque
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Palenque.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Palenque has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 61 m around an average of 65 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,134 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,466 m.
The land around Palenque is covered by trees (50%) and grassland (35%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and grassland (41%) within 16 km, and trees (53%) and grassland (39%) within 80 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
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 Palenque (17.5091°, -91.9813°, elevation 94 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. 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).