El Nido in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), El Nido sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 271 mm of rain over about 32 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is El Nido's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. El Nido has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see El Nido's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 26°C
- Rainfall
- 271 mm
- 32 wet days
- Avg wind
- 20 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in El Nido in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical winter day in El Nido reaches about 28°C and drops to 26°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in El Nido
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
El Nido weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 25° | 54 | 8.6 | 11.4 | 6.0 |
| Feb | 29° / 25° | 39 | 5.9 | 11.6 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 29° / 26° | 47 | 6.8 | 11.9 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 30° / 27° | 57 | 10.2 | 12.2 | 4.9 |
| May | 30° / 27° | 179 | 22.5 | 12.5 | 3.4 |
| Jun | 30° / 26° | 287 | 26.7 | 12.6 | 2.9 |
| Jul | 29° / 26° | 362 | 27.9 | 12.6 | 3.0 |
| Aug | 29° / 26° | 296 | 25.1 | 12.4 | 3.3 |
| Sep | 29° / 26° | 331 | 26.5 | 12.1 | 3.2 |
| Oct | 29° / 26° | 264 | 26.7 | 11.7 | 3.3 |
| Nov | 29° / 26° | 202 | 20.8 | 11.5 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 29° / 26° | 177 | 17 | 11.4 | 4.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
El Nido gets around 271 mm of rain over 32 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 20 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early December to 11 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for El Nido
In winter, El Nido overlaps its pacific typhoon and rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
El Nido sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.
El Nido's rainy season runs May–December, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit El Nido?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit El Nido for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for El Nido in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, El Nido sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 32 days see rain.
Sea temperature near El Nido in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 28°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 28 | Warm |
| Apr | 29 | Tropical |
| May | 30 | Tropical |
| Jun | 30 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 29 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Tropical |
UV index in El Nido in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 El Nido peaks around August 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 10 at about 9 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 14 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 13 | Extreme |
| Aug | 14 | Extreme |
| Sep | 13 | Extreme |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Where is El Nido?
El Nido sits at 11.2°N, 119.4°E, 36 m above sea level, in Philippines. The nearest listed city is Roxas, 96 km away.
Topography around El Nido
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of El Nido.
Within 3 km, the terrain around El Nido has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m around an average of 41 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 666 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 979 m.
The land around El Nido is covered by trees (49%) and water (46%) within 3 km, water (55%) and trees (41%) within 16 km, and water (82%) within 80 km.
Philippines travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C
- 230 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 33% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $4,171
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.2 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 48%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 4.3
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- High
- EF EPI 569
- Religion
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 El Nido (11.1858°, 119.3956°, elevation 36 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.