Portobelo weather in May

In May, Portobelo sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 265 mm of rain across 29.7 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in May, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Portobelo's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portobelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
265 mm
29.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:02 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
89%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical May day in Portobelo reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs on par with April and on par with June.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How May really feels in Portobelo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 21 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
21
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.

Portobelo weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 1st-warmest and 7th-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 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
21585
31486
41387
51288
61189
71090
8991
9991
10892
11793
12793
13793
14793
15793
16793
17793
18694
19694
20694
21694
22694
23694
24694
25694
26694
27694
28793
29793
30793
31694

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Portobelo gets around 265 mm of rain over 29.7 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 95% and peaks near 98% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
289
390
491
592
692
793
894
994
1095
1195
1295
1395
1495
1595
1695
1795
1895
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2497
2597
2697
2797
2897
2997
3097
3198

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the oppressive band about 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
116237
216138
306139
406040
505842
605743
705644
805545
905446
1005446
1105347
1205347
1305248
1405248
1505248
1605248
1705248
1805248
1905248
2005248
2105248
2205347
2305347
2405446
2505446
2605545
2705545
2805545
2905545
3005545
3105545

Wind in May

Winds average 10 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412calm
512calm
612calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:06 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:066:26
212.36:056:26
312.36:056:26
412.46:056:26
512.46:046:26
612.46:046:26
712.46:046:26
812.46:046:27
912.46:036:27
1012.46:036:27
1112.46:036:27
1212.46:036:27
1312.46:026:27
1412.46:026:28
1512.46:026:28
1612.46:026:28
1712.46:026:28
1812.46:016:28
1912.56:016:29
2012.56:016:29
2112.56:016:29
2212.56:016:29
2312.56:016:29
2412.56:016:30
2512.56:016:30
2612.56:016:30
2712.56:016:30
2812.56:016:31
2912.56:016:31
3012.56:016:31
3112.56:016:31

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.62 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 — May's 4.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Portobelo?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Portobelo.

What to pack for Portobelo in May

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

In May, Portobelo sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Portobelo in May

The nearest coast averages about 28°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
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Portobelo in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 12 (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 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 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
May 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).