Portobelo weather in March

In March, Portobelo sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 43 mm of rain across 14.2 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 11th-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 34% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Portobelo's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portobelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
8th warmest
Overnight low
24°
5th coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
14.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:30 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
52%
3rd clearest
Wind
20 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical March 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, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

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
262725
272725
282725
292725
302725
312725

How March really feels in Portobelo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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

March 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 March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 11th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 35% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47327
57327
67327
77426
87327
97327
107228
117129
127129
137030
147030
156931
166931
176832
186832
196733
206733
216733
226634
236535
246535
256535
266535
276436
286436
296238
306139
316040

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Portobelo gets around 43 mm of rain over 14.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 46% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
243
343
443
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1144
1244
1344
1444
1545
1645
1746
1846
1946
2047
2147
2248
2348
2449
2549
2650
2750
2851
2951
3052
3153

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
19892
29892
310882
410882
510882
610882
710882
810882
910882
1010882
1110873
1210873
139883
149883
159883
169874
179874
188884
198884
208884
217894
227885
237885
247885
257885
267876
277876
287867
297867
307858
316859

Wind in March

Winds average 20 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 18 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
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 6:22 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:386:26
211.86:376:26
311.86:376:26
411.86:366:26
511.86:366:26
611.86:366:26
711.96:356:26
811.96:356:26
911.96:346:26
1011.96:336:26
1111.96:336:26
1211.96:326:26
1311.96:326:26
1411.96:316:26
1511.96:316:26
1611.96:306:26
1711.96:306:26
1812.06:296:26
1912.06:296:26
2012.06:286:26
2112.06:276:26
2212.06:276:26
2312.06:266:26
2412.06:266:26
2512.06:256:26
2612.06:246:26
2712.06:246:26
2812.06:236:26
2912.16:236:26
3012.16:226:26
3112.16:226:26

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.67 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — March's 5.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Portobelo?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Portobelo in March

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

In March, 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 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Portobelo in March

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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