Palenque weather in January

In January, Palenque sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 106 mm of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of January to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Palenque's 5th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palenque's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Rainfall
106 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:45 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
46%
5th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Palenque reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°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, January runs on par with December and about 2°C cooler than February.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292818
302818
312818

How January really feels in Palenque

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.

Palenque weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36337
46337
56337
66436
76436
86436
96535
106535
116535
126535
136634
146634
156634
166535
176535
186535
196535
206535
216535
226436
236436
246436
256535
266535
276535
286733
296733
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Palenque gets around 106 mm of rain over 10.8 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
235
335
435
535
636
736
836
936
1035
1135
1234
1334
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2732
2832
2933
3033
3133

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 67% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
106216112
206206311
306206311
406206311
507216111
617216011
717216011
817226010
918235810
1018245710
1119255610
121925569
131926559
141926559
151927549
161927549
171927549
181927549
191928548
201928548
211928548
220828568
230827578
240727588
250727588
260726598
270725608
280625618
290624628
300624628
310623638

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, 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 January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 12 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:42 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:425:40
211.06:425:41
311.06:435:41
411.06:435:42
511.06:435:42
611.06:445:43
711.06:445:44
811.06:445:44
911.06:445:45
1011.06:455:45
1111.06:455:46
1211.06:455:47
1311.06:455:47
1411.06:455:48
1511.06:455:48
1611.16:455:49
1711.16:465:50
1811.16:465:50
1911.16:465:51
2011.16:465:51
2111.16:465:52
2211.16:465:52
2311.16:465:53
2411.16:465:54
2511.16:465:54
2611.26:465:55
2711.26:455:55
2811.26:455:56
2911.26:455:56
3011.26:455:57
3111.26:455:58

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.06 kWh/m².

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 — January's 4.06 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Palenque?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

January 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 January

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

In January, Palenque sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Palenque 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 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 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 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
January 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).