In Panama the climate is tropical, hot all year round, with a dry season (January to April), and a rainy season (May to December).
The rains occur mostly in the form of heavy downpour or thunderstorm, usually in the afternoon or evening, but they can continue even in the early hours of the night.
The temperatures vary little throughout the year, however the coolest months, or rather the least hot, are usually October and November, at the end of the rainy season, although during this period the humidity makes the heat unpleasant. The hottest months are usually March and April, before the rainy season.

There are also some regions that have an equatorial climate, ie with no dry season: the north-west, near the border with Costa Rica, on the northern side of the mountain range called Cordillera de Talamanca, where the Amistad International Park is found, occupied by a cloud forest, and the south-east, namely the Darién Province, on the border with Colombia, where an impenetrable rainforest dominates, so much so that even the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise would connect the whole American continent from Alaska to Patagonia, is interrupted south of Yaviza (the interruption is called Darién Gap). In the former zone (see Changuinola), where about 2,500 millimetres (98 inches) of rain per year fall, there are two periods in which the rains have a relative decline: September-October and February-March, when from 100 to 150 mm (4 to 6 in) per month fall, while the wettest months are July, September and December. In the latter zone, the Darién Province, where more than 3,000 mm (118 in) of rain per year fall, the only time when precipitation goes down to around 150 mm (6 in) per month is January to March.

If we exclude the Darién region, where it rains a lot on both sides, typically the Caribbean coast receives more rain than the Pacific one, because the prevailing winds, especially in winter, are the north-east trade winds, which pick up moisture from the sea and then drop it on the mountain ranges that stretch along the interior of the country as a backbone, especially in the central-western region where they are higher.

In Panama City, the capital, located on the Pacific side, about 1,730 mm (68 in) of rain fall, almost all in the rainy season, from May to mid-December. This period is also characterized by a hot and muggy weather with poor sunshine.
Here is the average precipitation.
Average precipitation - Panama City

Panama City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Panama City	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D	Y
Prec. (mm)	40	16	17	75	200	205	185	190	195	225	250	130	1728
Prec.(in)	1.6	0.6	0.7	3	7.9	8.1	7.3	7.5	7.7	8.9	9.8	5.1	68
Days	3	2	1	4	11	12	11	11	12	13	13	8	101

In return, in the period from January to mid-April, the sun shines and it almost never rains, but it's still hot, with lows around 23/24 °C (73/75 °F), and highs around 32 °C (90 °F).
Here are the average temperatures of Panama City.
Average temperatures - Panama City

Panama City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Panama City	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	23	23	23	24	24	24	24	24	23	23	23	23
Max (°C)	31	32	32	32	31	30	30	30	30	29	30	30
Min (°F)	73	73	73	75	75	75	75	75	73	73	73	73
Max (°F)	88	90	90	90	88	86	86	86	86	84	86	86

In the northern side, in Colón, near the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal, the rainfall patterns is the same, but the quantity is about twice as high, 3,300 mm (130 in) per year. In the wettest month, November, the rains become monsoon-like, reacheing as high as 550 mm (21.5 in) in a month. North-east of Colón we find the archipelago of the San Blas islands, coral islands inhabited by the Kuna Indians.
Here is the average precipitation in Colón.
Average precipitation - Colón

Colón	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Colón	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D	Y
Prec. (mm)	95	50	45	125	360	340	380	360	310	395	550	340	3355
Prec.(in)	3.7	2	1.8	4.9	14.2	13.4	15	14.2	12.2	15.6	21.7	13.4	132.1
Days	9	7	7	9	19	20	22	23	19	22	24	17	198

The southern side, being leeward from the trade winds, not only is less rainy than the northern side, but also is a bit hotter. On the south coast (see Panama City), the daily average temperature of the warmest month (April) is 28 °C (82 °F), that of the cooler months (October and November) is 26 °C (79 °F), while along the north coast, the average ranges from 27 °C (81 °F) in April and May, to 25 °C (77 °F) in November and December.



To find some cool weather, you have to climb above 1,000 metres (3,300 feet), in the so-called tierras templadas ("temperate lands"), which have a milder climate. In Boquete, 1,200 metres (3,900 feet) above sea level, on the slopes of the volcano Barú, which is the highest peak in Panama with its 3,475 metres (11,401 feet), the average temperature fluctuates between 20 °C and 21 °C (68 and 70 °F) throughout the year.
Here are the average temperatures.
Average temperatures - Boquete

Boquete	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Boquete	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	15	15	16	17	17	17	17	17	16	16	16	15
Max (°C)	26	26	27	27	26	25	26	26	25	25	25	25
Min (°F)	59	59	61	63	63	63	63	63	61	61	61	59
Max (°F)	79	79	81	81	79	77	79	79	77	77	77	77

Above 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), in the tierras frías ("cold lands"), nights can be cold, especially in the period from December to March. Above 3,000 metres (10,000 ft), it can get cold even during the day.



Across the southern plains to the west of the Gulf of Panana (see David, Santiago), and in the Azuero Peninsula, rainfall drops below 100 mm (4 in) already in December; during the dry season, the sun shines along the coast and the heat is intense in the interior, with highs around 35 °C (95 °F).
Here are the average temperatures in Santiago de Veraguas.
Average temperatures - Santiago

Santiago	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Santiago	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	20	20	20	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	21	21
Max (°C)	32	33	34	34	32	31	31	31	31	30	31	31
Min (°F)	68	68	68	72	72	72	72	72	72	72	70	70
Max (°F)	90	91	93	93	90	88	88	88	88	86	88	88

South of the coast, we find the pristine island of Coiba, which is also a national park, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the southern provinces of Herrera, Coclé and Los Santos, west of the Gulf of Panama (see Anton, Chitré, in the small area circled in light red), precipitation drops to around 1,500 millimetres (60 inches) per year. In this region, the vegetation becomes less dense, so that there are also grasslands and shrubs. In the inland region there is even a desert, in the Sarigua National Park, actually formed as a result of deforestation made by settlers in the last century, to make room for pastures, rather than to the climate.

The amount of sunshine in Panama is never great, because some cloudiness can always form; however, it's better at the height of the dry season, from February to April. On the other hand, even in the rainy season, the sun makes its appearance on average for a few hours a day, at least in the plains and along the coasts. The cloudiest areas are the east, towards the border with Colombia, and the mountainous inland areas. Here are the sunshine hours per day in Panama City.
Sunshine - Panama City

Panama City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Panama City	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sun (hours)	7	8	8	7	7	6	6	6	6	5	6	6

Panama is almost always spared from hurricanes, which pass at a higher latitude; the only hurricane to hit Panama in historical times was Martha, which followed an abnormal trajectory (from north to south) and hit the coast in Mosquito Bay, in November 1969. However, the hurricane season runs from June to November, hence, it coincides with the rainy season, which tourists typically avoid.

The sea in Panama is warm enough for swimming all year round: the water temperature goes from 27 °C to 29 °C (81 to 84 °F). And this applies to both coasts.
Sea temperature - Panama City

Panama City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Panama City	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sea (°C)	27	27	27	27	28	29	28	28	29	29	28	28
Sea (°F)	81	81	81	81	82	84	82	82	84	84	82	82

The best time to visit Panama, for a beach holiday or to visit cities and nature reserves, runs from January to mid-April, and in particular the months of February and March: it's hot almost everywhere, the sun shines and there is little rain, except on the Caribbean coast and in the south-east (province of Darién), where rainfall is quite frequent even during this period.
In the south-western area circled in burgundy, you can go even in December.


For plains and coasts: lightweight clothes, a light sweatshirt for the evening and rooms with air conditioning; in the rainy season (from May to mid-December in Panama City, and throughout the year in areas with an equatorial climate), a light raincoat or umbrella for thunderstorms. For the reef, equipment for snorkeling, water shoes or rubber soled shoes.
For the tierras templadas: all year round, light clothing, a sweatshirt or sweater for the evening; raincoat or umbrella in the rainy season. In the dry season, sun hat and sunscreen.
For the tierras frías: throughout the year, clothes for spring and autumn, t-shirt for the day, sweater or sweatshirt and jacket for the evening, raincoat or umbrella in the rainy season.
For high mountains: warm clothes, jacket, hiking boots.