Roatán weather in December
December in Roatán: hot, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 22 rainy days.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#10 of 12 months in Roatán · #740 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 70/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 29°C
- Nights
- 23°C
- Wet days
- 22
- Sun
- 9.5 h
- Humidity
- 81%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Traveller notes on Roatán in December
Other months in Roatán
Regulars are specific that the prevailing east trade winds do double duty here - cooling things down and genuinely blasting bugs off the island - with wind direction itself the real variable that matters, easterlies bringing fair weather to West End and West Bay while northerlies roughen seas there but calm the south side. Our row backs that warm, genuinely windy read, 29.1C reading as a hot 32C, over 22.8C nights, with 73.4mm of rain across 12.3 days and a real 32.5 kph wind. Regulars are consistent this technically still falls within the region's October-through-March rainy season on paper, though several visitors report entirely clear, dry weeks even in early February. The sea sits at a warm, swimmable 27C. The record: humidity 80 percent, 10.2 hours of sun and AQI 43.
Roatan-forum threads on hurricane-season weather call August and September the warmest stretch of the year here, and also some of the best diving and fishing conditions, water clear enough that posters describe visibility as genuinely excellent right through this window. Regulars are consistent the real wet season doesn't properly arrive until late October or November, so September itself tends to run warm and clear more often than not, even though it sits inside the wider Atlantic hurricane season on the calendar. On the storm risk specifically, posters point out Roatan sits far enough south that most systems veer north before reaching the Bay Islands, and no direct hurricane hit has been reported here since the 1990s. The warm sea and generally settled conditions are called the real September story over any storm anxiety. The record: 32.4C days feeling like a punishing 39C, 25.6C nights, a 30.4C sea and 81 percent humidity.
Roatan-forum threads on August weather, rain and hurricane season describe it as hot, humid and generally sunny, the real rainy season not arriving until October through December, so August sits comfortably ahead of the wettest stretch. Posters call August and September the pinnacle for diving conditions specifically, water clarity and visibility both at their best of the year alongside the warmest sea temperatures. Regulars are candid that forecasts for the island are often unreliable, and while rain does show up on a real number of days, it's consistently described as brief rather than an all-day event. Hurricane risk exists on the calendar but posters treat a direct hit as the exception rather than something to plan a trip around. The record: 32.1C days feeling like a punishing 38C, 25.8C nights, 82mm across 15.2 days, 82 percent humidity, a 29.6C sea and 11.3 hours of sun.
March opens the good half of the Roatan diving year - regulars give March through September as the best visibility window, and it is the month the northers stop. Those are the winter storms that blow from October to February and shut down the north and west sides; the prevailing wind the rest of the year is east-south-east, which makes the south shore the windward one and West Bay and West End the sheltered side. Our row's 32.7 kph is the highest wind figure in this round, so the rule still earns its keep: one mid-March report has 20 mph winds and five-foot seas closing the south shore entirely. The rains are ending too. The record: 30.1C days that feel like 33C, 23.6C nights, 8.5 precipitation days carrying 59.3mm and a 27.4C sea.
Add your own note from Roatán's card on the map.
Roatán climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Roatán in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsCruise season, Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Roatán's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Toughest weatherRoatán's weather peaks March–May.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Roatán in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Rule
Marine park fee for divers
1 Jan – 31 DecBook earlyEvery diver and snorkeller pays the Roatan Marine Park an annual fee, collected by the shops as a wristband. It is what pays for the mooring buoys and the patrol boat, and the shops check for it. Source ↗
- Season
Norte fronts
15 Oct – 28 Feb · usuallyWind seasonRiskClosuresCold fronts sliding off the North American mainland reach the island every few weeks through the winter, giving two or three days of wind and chop that shut the north-shore dive sites and push the boats round to the south side.
- Season
Cruise season
15 Nov – 30 Apr · usuallyCrowdedTwo terminals, at Coxen Hole and Mahogany Bay, and on a four-ship morning West Bay beach is a different place entirely. The schedules are published months ahead and worth reading before you pick your days.
- Holiday
Christmas and New Year
20 Dec – 5 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook earlyHonduran families and returning islanders arrive together, and the dive shops run their fullest boats of the year. December often behaves like the dry season despite the calendar, which is why the fortnight sells out. Source ↗
- Season
Wet season
MonsoonRisk22 rainy days and about 235 mm in the month — the real kind of rainy season, not afternoon showers.
from the climate normals
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Roatán — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Roatán?
Roatán in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Roatán?
- December in Roatán: hot, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 22 rainy days. It ranks #10 of 12 months for Roatán on SeasonMap's comfort score (70/100).
- What is the weather like in Roatán in December?
- In December, Roatán averages a daily high of 28.9°C and a low of 22.8°C, with about 235.3 mm of rain over roughly 21.6 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Roatán in December?
- Roatán has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 38 in December.
Within 300 km: Caye Caulker's Lobster season opens on 15 Jun – 14 Feb.