Balboa weather in December

In December, Balboa sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 105 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Balboa's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balboa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
7th warmest
Overnight low
24°
5th coldest
Rainfall
105 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:30 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
62%
4th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.7
out of 10

Balboa is town in Panama.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Balboa reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
312924

How December really feels in Balboa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Balboa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°184.711.56.2
Feb29° / 24°102.611.76.4
Mar30° / 24°11311.96.0
Apr30° / 25°7813.312.24.5
May29° / 25°22328.412.43.0
Jun29° / 25°24829.512.52.8
Jul29° / 25°27030.112.52.8
Aug29° / 25°26530.412.32.8
Sep29° / 25°25329.512.12.9
Oct28° / 24°25429.911.83.0
Nov28° / 24°2502711.63.4
Dec29° / 24°10517.211.54.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33565
43565
53664
63664
73862
83961
93862
104060
114159
124258
134357
144555
154753
164852
175050
185248
195347
205446
215644
225743
235842
246040
256040
266139
276139
286238
296238
306238
316337

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Balboa gets around 105 mm of rain over 17.2 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 55% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
273
372
471
570
669
768
867
966
1065
1163
1262
1361
1459
1558
1656
1754
1853
1951
2050
2148
2247
2345
2444
2543
2641
2740
2839
2937
3036
3134

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 80% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
117227
217227
317227
417326
517326
617425
717425
817524
917623
1017623
1117722
1217821
1317821
1417920
1518019
1618118
1718217
1818217
1918316
2018316
2128315
2228315
2328414
2428414
2528414
2628414
2728513
2828513
2928612
3028612
3128711

Wind in December

Winds average 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:23 AM to 6:37 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:235:53
211.56:235:54
311.56:245:54
411.56:245:54
511.56:255:55
611.56:255:55
711.56:265:55
811.56:265:56
911.56:265:56
1011.56:275:56
1111.56:285:57
1211.56:285:57
1311.56:295:58
1411.56:295:58
1511.56:295:58
1611.56:305:59
1711.56:305:59
1811.56:316:00
1911.56:316:00
2011.56:326:01
2111.56:326:01
2211.56:336:02
2311.56:336:02
2411.56:346:03
2511.56:346:03
2611.56:356:04
2711.56:356:04
2811.56:366:04
2911.56:366:05
3011.56:366:05
3111.56:376:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.15 kWh/m² to a high of 5.86 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.48 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Balboa

In seasonPeak

None of Balboa's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Balboa's rainy season runs May–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Balboa?

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

4.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Balboa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Balboa in December

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

In December, Balboa sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Balboa in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in June at about 29°C and coldest in March near 25°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Balboa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balboa peaks around June 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 10 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeJun 10UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Balboa 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 Balboa is worst in July — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1627 µg/m³Nov 1014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Balboa?

Balboa sits at 8.9°N, 79.6°W, 0 m above sea level, in Panama. The nearest listed city is El Chorrillo, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Balboa

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Balboa.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balboa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 182 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 516 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,168 m.

The land around Balboa is covered by trees (29%), water (28%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
182 m
16 km
516 m
80 km
1,168 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: El Chorrillo 2.0 km · Ancón 2.0 km · Curundú 3.0 km · Panama City 7.0 km · Arraiján 8.0 km · Veracruz 9.0 km · Río Abajo 12 km · Parque Lefevre 13 km

Panama travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
110 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 45% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$19,790
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 491
Religion
Evangelical 55%Roman Catholic 33%none 10%

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 Balboa (8.9481°, -79.5667°, 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. 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).