Colon weather in January

In January, Colon sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 63 mm of rain across 15.4 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-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 49% of the time in January, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Colon's 2nd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
10th warmest
Overnight low
25°
4th coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:44 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
46%
2nd clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Colon is sea port on the Caribbean Sea (Atlantic) coast of Panama.

Founded
1850

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 29°C through the month.

A typical January day in Colon reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 4°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, January runs on par with December and on par with February.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
112925
122925
132925
142925
152925
162925
172925
182925
192925
202925
212925
222925
232925
242925
252925
262925
272925
282925
292925
302925
312925

How January really feels in Colon

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 5 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
5
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

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

Colon weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 25°6315.411.55.2
Feb29° / 25°359.811.75.6
Mar29° / 25°4111.611.95.3
Apr29° / 25°12720.112.24.0
May29° / 25°28429.412.42.8
Jun29° / 25°28929.412.52.7
Jul29° / 25°33430.512.52.8
Aug29° / 25°32530.612.32.7
Sep29° / 25°30029.512.12.7
Oct29° / 25°32030.111.82.8
Nov28° / 25°3412911.63.1
Dec28° / 25°19025.511.53.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26733
36832
46832
56931
67030
77129
87030
97129
107129
117228
127228
137228
147327
157327
167327
177327
187327
197426
207426
217426
227525
237525
247525
257624
267624
277723
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Colon gets around 63 mm of rain over 15.4 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 51% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
164
263
362
461
559
658
757
856
956
1055
1154
1254
1353
1452
1552
1651
1750
1849
1948
2047
2147
2246
2345
2444
2543
2642
2741
2840
2940
3039
3139

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the oppressive band about 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
118019
218118
318217
418316
518415
618613
718712
818712
918811
1028810
112899
122899
132908
142908
152917
162917
173916
183916
193916
203925
213925
223925
233925
243934
253934
264924
274924
284933
295923
305923
316913

Wind in January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of January to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:396:07
211.56:396:07
311.56:406:08
411.56:406:08
511.56:406:09
611.56:416:09
711.56:416:10
811.56:416:10
911.56:426:11
1011.56:426:11
1111.56:426:12
1211.56:436:12
1311.56:436:13
1411.56:436:13
1511.56:436:14
1611.56:446:14
1711.56:446:15
1811.56:446:15
1911.56:446:16
2011.56:446:16
2111.56:456:16
2211.56:456:17
2311.56:456:17
2411.56:456:18
2511.66:456:18
2611.66:456:19
2711.66:456:19
2811.66:456:19
2911.66:456:20
3011.66:456:20
3111.66:456:21

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.88 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.99 kWh/m² to a high of 5.8 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.88 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Colon?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Colon in January

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

In January, Colon sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Colon in January

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in October at about 29°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Colon in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Colon peaks around March 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 20UV 13Dec 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Colon 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 Colon is worst in July — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (January, 14 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1526 µg/m³Jan 1314 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Colon?

Colon sits at 9.4°N, 79.9°W, 2 m above sea level, in Panama. The nearest listed city is Cativá, 7.0 km away.

ChilibreAlcalde DíazLa CabimaLas CumbresArraiján

Topography around Colon

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Colon has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 28 m around an average of 2 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 303 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,122 m.

The land around Colon is covered by water (57%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, water (59%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and water (46%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
28 m
16 km
303 m
80 km
1,122 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
January weather nearby: Cativá 7.0 km · Sabanitas 11 km · Portobelo 34 km · Chilibre 38 km · Alcalde Díaz 46 km · La Cabima 48 km · Las Cumbres 50 km · Arraiján 55 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 Colon (9.3603°, -79.9002°, elevation 2 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).