Belize in December: Rain and Temperature at Eight Stations, Cold Fronts and the Holiday Dates

Verified on 14 November 2026 on the National Meteorological Service of Belize’s climatology tables and climate summary, the Government of Belize Press Office’s 2026 and 2027 holiday notices, the Fisheries Department’s regulations page and the National Institute of Culture and History’s living heritage inventory.

December’s average rainfall in Belize runs from 70.1 mm at Libertad, in Corozal District, to 178.5 mm at Punta Gorda, in Toledo, across the eight stations whose station tables the National Meteorological Service (NMS) labels 1991-2020 (lowest and highest station: our arithmetic). The NMS says the effect of cold fronts begins in October and ends in April, “peaking through December and January”, and that “A cold front moves across Belize about once every 10 days.”

December at the eight NMS stations

The two northern stations, Libertad and Tower Hill, average less than half the December rain of Punta Gorda, and the December average minimum is lowest at Punta Gorda (18.6 °C) and Tower Hill (18.7 °C) and highest at the airport (21.2 °C) (our arithmetic from the table).

The NMS prints a Years figure beside each row. Beside the rainfall rows it reads from 27 (Savannah) to 30 (the airport, Central Farm and Melinda); beside Punta Gorda’s temperature rows it reads 16. Above all eight tables the same page carries the line Past Data (1981-2010), while every station heading reads 1991-2020; we give the station headings’ label and note the other.

What the met service says about December cold fronts

The NMS climate summary describes cold fronts “that progress southeastward from the Continental USA into the Northwest Caribbean”. For December it says:

• “the most likely months for frontal passages are December, January and February”;
• “In December and January fronts are most likely to become stationary over Belize.”;
• surface troughs have “a modal frequency in November with secondary maxima in December”;
• the dry season “can be subdivided into a cool transition from November to February, as a result of the incursion of frontal systems”.

The same page reports a catalogue of weather systems crossing Belize compiled “During a four year period (1994-1998)”, and prints a table headed Total Number of Cold Fronts: 1 in October, 3 in November, 8 in December, 12 in January, 8 in February, 6 in March, 2 in April and none from May to September. The page does not print a period next to that table. It names January, not December, as the coldest month.

Public holidays in December

After December 2026, New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January in the 2027 notice. The rules behind the Boxing Day move are on Belize public and bank holidays 2027.

Fishing seasons that touch December

The Fisheries Department’s regulations page prints three closed seasons that bear on December:

• Nassau grouper: Closed season: 1 st December to 31 st March, and the page also bars taking, buying, selling or possessing any Nassau grouper under 20 inches or over 30 inches in total length.
• Spiny lobster: closed from 1 March to 30 June, so December is outside the closure; the law behind it is on Belize lobster season.
• Conch: Closed season: 1 st July to to 30 th September or when catch QUOTA is met; the page gives no quota date.

A December competition NICH names

The National Institute of Culture and History’s entry on Garifuna Settlement Day names the Habinahan Wanaragua Steering Committee, which runs workshops through the year for “the annual competition that is held in December”. NICH gives no 2026 date or venue for it.

What these pages do not cover

• A December 2026 outlook. The NMS climatology and climate summary pages describe averages, not a forecast for this December (read 14 November 2026).
• Temperatures for Libertad. Its NMS table prints rainfall and rain days only.
• A location line for Central Farm or Punta Gorda. Their NMS Source of the above data lines repeat another station’s coordinates, so we give their district only.
• Any station on the cayes. None of the eight NMS stations is on a caye.

Our best time to visit Belize page sets out the airport’s normals month by month and each station’s yearly rainfall; this page gives December only.

How we researched this

On 14 November 2026 we read the NMS climatology page and copied the December value from each station’s rows, and read its climate summary for the cold-front text and counts. We read the Press Office’s 2026 and 2027 holiday notices, the Fisheries Department’s regulations page and NICH’s Garifuna Settlement Day entry the same day. The rainfall range and the comparisons under the table are our arithmetic; every other value is printed by the source named. Celsius values are not converted.

Sources

• National Meteorological Service of Belize: Climatology (read 14 November 2026): December rainfall, rain days, mean, maximum and minimum temperatures and years of record for the eight stations, the 1991-2020 and 1981-2010 labels
• National Meteorological Service of Belize: Climate Summary (read 14 November 2026): the cold-front statements, the cool transition, the 1994-1998 catalogue and the cold-front table, the coldest month
• Government of Belize Press Office: Public and Bank Holidays 2026 (read 14 November 2026): Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2026
• Government of Belize Press Office: Public and Bank Holidays 2027 (read 14 November 2026): Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in the 2027 list
• Belize Fisheries Department: Regulations (read 14 November 2026): the Nassau grouper, lobster and conch closed seasons
• NICH: Belize Living Heritage, Garifuna Settlement Day & Yurumein (read 14 November 2026): the December Wanaragua competition

Last verified: 2026-11-14

Researched and written by Estuardo Enriquez for belizetravelblog.com, an independent site with no connection to any airport, airline, tour operator or government body.