Colon weather in May

In May, Colon sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 284 mm of rain across 29.4 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Colon's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Colon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
284 mm
29.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:03 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
89%
7th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month.

A typical May 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 28°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°25°30°35°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 May really feels in Colon

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May 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 May is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Colon weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 2nd-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21387
31387
41288
51189
61090
7991
8991
9892
10892
11892
12793
13793
14793
15793
16793
17793
18694
19595
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25595
26694
27694
28694
29694
30694
31694

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Colon gets around 284 mm of rain over 29.4 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 94% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
289
390
490
591
692
792
893
993
1094
1194
1294
1395
1495
1595
1695
1795
1895
1995
2095
2195
2295
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the miserable band about 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
113465
203268
303169
402971
502872
602773
702674
802575
902476
1002476
1102377
1202377
1302377
1402278
1502278
1602278
1702278
1802278
1902278
2002377
2102377
2202377
2302476
2402476
2502476
2602476
2702476
2802476
2902476
3002476
3102476

Wind in May

Winds average 9 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of May to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:076:27
212.36:076:27
312.36:066:27
412.36:066:27
512.46:066:27
612.46:056:27
712.46:056:27
812.46:056:27
912.46:056:27
1012.46:046:28
1112.46:046:28
1212.46:046:28
1312.46:046:28
1412.46:036:28
1512.46:036:28
1612.46:036:29
1712.46:036:29
1812.46:036:29
1912.46:036:29
2012.46:026:29
2112.56:026:30
2212.56:026:30
2312.56:026:30
2412.56:026:30
2512.56:026:31
2612.56:026:31
2712.56:026:31
2812.56:026:31
2912.56:026:32
3012.56:026:32
3112.56:026:32

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.74 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 — May's 4.74 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Colon?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Colon.

What to pack for Colon in May

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

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

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Colon in May

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 13 (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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).