Central America Weather Overview

Lying sandwiched between north and south America you will find Central America. Made up of the nations of Belize, Cotsa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Lying in the North East of the region is the nation of Belize, a tiny nation which only gained independence in 1981. The country is home to less than 300 000 people, one of the lowest country population counts out of anywhere in the world.

Weather conditions in Belize, much like a lot of Central America, are subtropical, with distinction wet and dry seasons. Belize plays host to a high level of humidity but the cooling sea breezes provide a break from discomfort and make the 83% humidity much more bearable than if these prevailing breezes weren’t present.

The average annual temperature range in Belize is about 10 to 35 degrees and it sees an annual mean of 26 degrees. The temperature and conditions will vary depending on proximity to the coast and to local mountain ranges.

On the whole, November through until January are the coolest months and May through until September are the warmest months.

Belize is home to a charming weather phenomenon called the ‘night rains’ which is when the very early morning is cooled by a very light rainfall. This occurs as a result of the cool air coming down for the mountain range, once the cool air hits the coast the region is sprinkled with a delicate rain fall which offer results in pictures rainbows across the sky.

See here for the average conditions for the country’s capital, Belize City.

The coast of East Central America, including the nations of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama are affected by the local trade winds. For example, in January in Belize the North Easterly trade winds blow over the country resulting in very little rainfall. Come February the Dry Easterly winds wash over the country and this is what often causes the morning showers along the coast.

Adjacent to Belize, lying to its west is Guatemala, making up 108,890 km² of Central America. Because of its proximity to the tropics and its location upon the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala is subject to hurricanes. The strong hurricanes cause strong winds, severe flooding and mudslides- the most destructive in recent times being Hurricane Stan in 2005 which killed over 1500 people.

Guatemala has an enjoyable climate year round, on the whole the country is hot however conditions and temperatures vary depending on elevation. There are two major mountain ranges which lie from east to west and as a result the land is split into 3 main areas- the Pacific coast low lands, the highlands of the mountain ranges and the Peten region which is the lowlands to the north of the mountains.

In the lowlands the weather is generally humid, hot and best classified and tropical. On the flipside conditions are colder and drier in the highlands.

The majority of the rainfall occurs from May to November, , particularly noticeable in the Northern parts of the country. On the coast and in the north east you will witness a dry season from November to April and during this time temperatures can get particularly hot.

In the highlands the climate is pleasant, while it can drop to chilly lows come sundown there is less rainfall here than on the coast.

Guatemala is home to 14 different eco regions which host no less than 1246 species of animals! (see here for average conditions in Guatemala City)

South of Belize and Guatemala you will find El Salvador and Honduras.

Hondrus, situated between 13° and 16°N is one of the largest countries in Central America. Honduras typically receives most of its rainfall during the ‘winter’ period, which is rather unusual for this region. The country itself sees lower annual rainfall than its neighbouring countries.

Honduras borders the Caribbean Sea on its north coast and the Pacific Ocean on its south coast, and the climate varies depending on proximity to land and different elevation.. As a rule the weather is tropical in the lowlands and more temperate in the mountain ranges. Central and southern Honduras is relatively hotter and less humid than the northern coast.

Much of Honduras is made up of mountains, 81% of the terrain to be exact. There are narrow plains which lie along the Pacific and Carribean coasts and there is a large jungle (the La Mosquitia jungle) which sits in the northeast and is largely undeveloped. The low land of San Pedro Sula in the northwest is the most heavily populated region in the country.

See here for weather averages in Tegucigalpa, the nations capital.

Lying on the west coast, neighbour Honduras is the much smaller nation of El Salvador. El Salvador is mountainous with its highest points reaching over 1,800 m. It is also the only country in Central America with that has no coastline on the Caribbean Sea.

El Salvador is home to a very typical tropical climate, consisting of distinct wet and dry seasons. There is very little change in temperature across the year (similar to conditions in Bali) and temperature differs mainly due to elevation. There is a rainy season which spread from May to October, and the remainder of the year is considerably drier.

The lowlands along the Pacific coast are the hottest and most humid in the country, and the annual average ranges from 25°C to 29°C. The annual temperature in San Salvador is 23°C with an absolute maximum of 38°C and minimum 2°C.

In the mountain areas temperatures get much much colder and the annual averages fall 12°C to 23°C with minimum temperatures occasionally approaching freezing.

The northeast trade winds are the main determinant of weather patterns from November through until April. During this time months, the air that flows from the Caribbean is dry after passing through the Honduras mountain ranges so by the time it reaches El Salvador it has become dry and hot and leaves a haze across the sky.

See here for average weather conditions in El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador.

In the centre of Central America is the nation of Nicaragua, with Caribbean coast on the east and Pacific coast on the west. Like Guatemala the country is split into three distinct geographical regions: the Pacific Lowlands, the North-Central highlands and the Atlantic Lowlands. So, like much of Central America, it is the elevation and proximity to the oceans and seas that has the main effect on the weather. However, Nicaragua isn’t quite as mountains as other countries within Central America so it doesn’t see quite the temperature extremes that its northern counterparts see.

The west coast of the country known to be one of the wettest parts of Central America, playing host to 2,500-3,750 mm average annual precipitation.

See here for average conditions for Managua, the capital which lies in the west.

Panama lies in the very south of Central America, between 7 °and 9 degrees north, and it occupies the narrowest part of the region. The climate here is obviuosly one of the most 'tropical' as it lies the cloest to the tropics, though conditions are not too dissimilar to its more northern counterparts.

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