Portobelo weather in January

In January, Portobelo sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 64 mm of rain across 16.2 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% 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 Portobelo's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portobelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
16.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:43 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
50%
2nd clearest
Wind
20 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Portobelo is port city and corregimiento in Portobelo District, Colón Province, Panama.

Founded
1597

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 27°C through the month.

A typical January day in Portobelo reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°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)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

How January really feels in Portobelo

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

January sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Portobelo weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 11th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°6416.211.55.7
Feb27° / 24°4012.111.76.2
Mar27° / 24°4314.211.96.0
Apr28° / 25°10320.612.24.7
May28° / 25°26529.712.43.2
Jun28° / 25°30129.312.53.0
Jul28° / 25°32530.312.53.2
Aug28° / 25°32330.512.33.2
Sep28° / 25°29629.812.13.2
Oct28° / 25°3113011.83.3
Nov27° / 24°33928.911.63.5
Dec27° / 24°18124.911.54.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 28% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26238
36238
46436
56535
66634
76733
86733
96832
106931
116931
126832
136931
146931
156931
166832
176931
186931
196931
207030
217030
227030
237129
247129
257129
267228
277228
287228
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Portobelo gets around 64 mm of rain over 16.2 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 53% and peaks near 63% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
262
361
460
559
658
758
857
957
1057
1157
1256
1356
1456
1555
1655
1754
1853
1952
2052
2151
2250
2349
2448
2547
2646
2746
2846
2945
3045
3145

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 94% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12908
22908
32917
42926
52926
62935
72935
83934
93934
103943
113943
123943
133952
143952
154942
164942
174951
184951
194951
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
265941
275941
285941
296931
306931
317921

Wind in January

Winds average 20 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 6:38 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:386:05
211.56:396:06
311.56:396:06
411.56:396:07
511.56:406:07
611.56:406:08
711.56:406:08
811.56:416:09
911.56:416:09
1011.56:416:10
1111.56:426:10
1211.56:426:11
1311.56:426:11
1411.56:426:12
1511.56:436:12
1611.56:436:13
1711.56:436:13
1811.56:436:14
1911.56:446:14
2011.56:446:15
2111.56:446:15
2211.56:446:16
2311.56:446:16
2411.56:446:17
2511.56:446:17
2611.56:446:17
2711.66:446:18
2811.66:456:18
2911.66:456:19
3011.66:456:19
3111.66:456:19

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 4.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.67 kWh/m² in March across the year — January's 4.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Portobelo?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Portobelo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Portobelo in January

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

In January, Portobelo sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Portobelo 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
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Portobelo 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 Portobelo peaks around March 22 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 22UV 13Dec 15UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Portobelo 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 Portobelo is worst in July — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 13 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 1529 µg/m³Nov 1413 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Portobelo?

Portobelo sits at 9.6°N, 79.7°W, 0 m above sea level, in Panama. The nearest listed city is Sabanitas, 28 km away.

ChilibreAlcalde DíazLa CabimaLas CumbresNuevo Belén

Topography around Portobelo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Portobelo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,009 m.

The land around Portobelo is covered by trees (43%), grassland (31%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (51%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (50%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
256 m
16 km
978 m
80 km
1,009 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
January weather nearby: Sabanitas 28 km · Cativá 29 km · Colon 34 km · Chilibre 45 km · Alcalde Díaz 49 km · La Cabima 50 km · Las Cumbres 53 km · Nuevo Belén 59 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 Portobelo (9.553°, -79.6569°, 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).