Bocas del Toro in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Bocas del Toro sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 594 mm of rain over about 58 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is Bocas del Toro's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Bocas del Toro has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Bocas del Toro's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°C
- Rainfall
- 594 mm
- 58 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.1
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Bocas del Toro in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Bocas del Toro reaches about 27°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Bocas del Toro
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.
Bocas del Toro 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° / 24° | 181 | 18.8 | 11.5 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 27° / 24° | 128 | 17 | 11.7 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 28° / 24° | 118 | 18.3 | 11.9 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 28° / 25° | 122 | 19.4 | 12.2 | 4.4 |
| May | 29° / 25° | 264 | 25.6 | 12.4 | 3.4 |
| Jun | 29° / 25° | 249 | 27.9 | 12.5 | 3.0 |
| Jul | 28° / 25° | 291 | 28.6 | 12.5 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 29° / 25° | 231 | 27.6 | 12.3 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 29° / 25° | 178 | 26.1 | 12.1 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 28° / 25° | 271 | 27.5 | 11.8 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 28° / 25° | 362 | 25.3 | 11.6 | 3.9 |
| Dec | 27° / 24° | 285 | 21.7 | 11.5 | 4.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Bocas del Toro gets around 594 mm of rain over 58 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min in early December to 11 h 48 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 4.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Bocas del Toro?
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 Bocas del Toro for sightseeing.
What to pack for Bocas del Toro in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Bocas del Toro sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 58 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Bocas del Toro in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in January near 27°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 28 | Warm |
| Apr | 28 | Tropical |
| May | 29 | Tropical |
| Jun | 29 | Tropical |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index in Bocas del Toro in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bocas del Toro peaks around March 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 10 (extreme).
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) | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 13 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Air quality in Bocas del Toro 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 Bocas del Toro is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (January, 8 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) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 15 | Moderate |
| Sep | 12 | Moderate |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Bocas del Toro?
Bocas del Toro sits at 9.3°N, 82.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Panama. The nearest listed city is Changuinola, 32 km away.
Topography around Bocas del Toro
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bocas del Toro.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Bocas del Toro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 44 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,431 m.
The land around Bocas del Toro is covered by water (82%) within 3 km, water (76%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (45%) within 80 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
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 Bocas del Toro (9.3403°, -82.242°, 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.