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The climate of Panama
The Republic of Panama enjoys a tropical climate; varying from a tropical rainforest climate along the borders with Costa Rica and Columbia to a monsoon climate in the western part of the country and a tropical savannah climate in central Panama. Wherever you are in Panama, it is always stiflingly hot with temperatures rising to 34-35 degrees Celsius. Because of reasonably high humidity figures it always feels muggy in Panama. Those who have ever been in an area with a tropical climate will recognize the muggy feel and the accompanying smell immediately.

Rainy season
The largest part of Panama has a distinct rainy season from the beginning of May till the second part of December. During this period it still feels very warm despite the fact that temperatures are slightly moderated by the overcast skies. This has everything to do with rising humidity figures caused by the many millimeters of rain that fall. Evaporation causes humid air which causes it to feel warmer than it actually is. With the exception of the rainforests most of the rain falls in the form of heavy showers that may last for several hours during the rainy season. In the rainforests longer rainy periods are not uncommon during the monsoon.

Climate information of places and areas in Panama
The climate information given on this page is only brief. Specific information on weather and climate can be found on the pages per region or city. The following climate information is available for Panama:

Mountains
Mountain ranges traverse Panama. The San Blas Mountains are situated in the eastern part of the country, centrally situated in Panama are the Central Mountains and the Corderilla de Talamanca Mountains are in the west. The highest peak of Panama can be found in the west: the Baru volcano with its peak at an altitude of 3,474 meters. In the highest regions, above 2,000 meters subzero temperatures during the night are not uncommon. Several atlases and climate guides classify these parts of Panama as a high mountain climate.

Hurricanes
Because Panama is situated on the leeward side of the Caribbean there is no risk of a hurricane reaching Panama. Other natural disasters such as floods, landslides, tornadoes and earthquakes are also uncommon in Panama. The Panama Canal, one of the wonders of the world, was constructed here for the very reason that there is a low risk of natural disasters in this area; in addition the distance between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific was also a deciding factor.

UV-index
The UV-index in Panama is high. The highest UV-index figure of 11 can be recorded all year round with the exception of December when UV-index figures reach 10 as a maximum. During cloudy days there is still a large risk of sunburn; when you expose your skin to the sun for a longer period of time there is even a serious risk of skin cancer. Protective clothing (also against mosquitoes) and applying sunscreen is well advised.

Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term climate records and are an average for Panama. Local deviations may occur, especially in the field of precipitation figures. Please, visit the individual climate pages for figures on other places and regions in Panama.

	average  maximum temperature (°C)	average minimum temperature (°C)	average hours of sunshine per day	average days with precipitation per month	average mm precipitation per month	average sea temperature (°C)
January	30	22	7	10		27
February	31	22	8	9		27
March	32	23	8	7		28
April	33	24	8	9		28
May	32	24	7	18		28
June	31	23	7	20		28
July	31	23	6	22		28
August	30	23	6	23		29
September	30	23	5	21		29
October	29	22	5	22		29
November	28	22	6	24		28
December	29	22	7	16		28
= 0-5 mm ● = 6-30 mm ● = 31-60 mm ● = 61-100 mm ● = 101-200 mm ● = over 200 mm = 0-0.2 inches ● = 0.2-1.2 inches ● = 1.2-2.4 inches ● = 2.5-4 inches ● = 4.1-8 inches ● = over 8 inches

More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time. How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate information per month. The information below is an average for Panama. Please, bear in mind that there is a larger chance of longer periods with precipitation in the western part of the country and in the most eastern tip of the country.

	chance of (very) hot weather	chance of (very) cool weather	chance of long-term precipitation	chance of hurricanes (cyclones)	chance of sunny days	UV-index
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
click here for the explanation of the symbols

Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.