Palenque weather in December

In December, Palenque sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 94 mm of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-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 46% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Palenque's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palenque's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:35 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
46%
4th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Palenque is municipal seat of Palenque, State of Chiapas, Mexico.

Founded
1567

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Palenque reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12819
22819
32819
42819
52819
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122819
132819
142819
152819
162819
172818
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

How December really feels in Palenque

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.

Palenque weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°10610.811.16.6
Feb29° / 19°647.311.46.1
Mar32° / 20°526.211.94.8
Apr34° / 22°586.612.43.2
May35° / 24°9511.612.82.5
Jun33° / 24°21821.2132.4
Jul33° / 23°12417.312.92.8
Aug33° / 23°17321.212.62.5
Sep32° / 23°22725.312.12.6
Oct30° / 22°19619.111.63.9
Nov29° / 20°13813.111.25.4
Dec28° / 19°949.5116.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46634
56733
66832
76931
86931
96931
106931
116931
126832
136832
146832
156634
166634
176634
186634
196535
206436
216436
226436
236436
246337
256238
266238
276238
286238
296139
306139
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Palenque gets around 94 mm of rain over 9.5 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
431
531
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2332
2432
2533
2633
2734
2834
2934
3034
3134

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 76% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
131652290
231554280
331555270
431556260
541557240
641558230
741559220
841560210
941560201
1041561191
1141661180
1251760180
1351761170
1451860170
1551960160
1651960160
1752060150
1852159150
1952160140
2052259140
2152259140
2252259140
2352260130
2452260130
2552260130
2652161130
2752161130
2852161130
2952162120
3052162120
3152162120

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:27 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:275:28
211.06:275:29
311.06:285:29
411.06:295:29
511.06:295:29
611.06:305:30
711.06:305:30
811.06:315:30
911.06:325:30
1011.06:325:31
1111.06:335:31
1211.06:335:31
1311.06:345:32
1411.06:345:32
1511.06:355:32
1611.06:355:33
1711.06:365:33
1811.06:365:34
1911.06:375:34
2011.06:375:35
2111.06:385:35
2211.06:385:35
2311.06:395:36
2411.06:395:36
2511.06:405:37
2611.06:405:37
2711.06:415:38
2811.06:415:38
2911.06:415:39
3011.06:425:40
3111.06:425:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.99 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.0Bright
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.0Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Moderate
134.0Moderate
144.0Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
173.9Moderate
183.9Moderate
193.9Moderate
203.9Moderate
213.9Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Moderate
284.0Moderate
294.0Moderate
304.0Moderate
314.0Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Palenque?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Palenque in December

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

In December, Palenque sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Palenque 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highApr 11UV 13Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May7Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Palenque 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 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).

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyModerateApr 2379 µg/m³Dec 2212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr80Unhealthy
May77Unhealthy
Jun27Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
61 m
16 km
1,134 m
80 km
2,466 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Emiliano Zapata 34 km · Yajalón 53 km · Tenosique 59 km · Ocosingo 68 km · Macuspana 71 km · Río de Teapa 102 km · Teapa 103 km · Playas del Rosario 108 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 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).