Palenque in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Palenque sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 264 mm of rain over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 28°C in early December to 30°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Palenque's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Palenque's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 18°C
- Rainfall
- 264 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Palenque in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 28°C in early December to 30°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Palenque reaches about 28°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Palenque
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter 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 the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Palenque gets around 264 mm of rain over 28 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.4 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Palenque?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter 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 Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Palenque sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.
UV index in Palenque in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). 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.
| 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 |
Air quality in Palenque in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| 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 |
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.