Ask anyone planning a trip to the cayes why they hesitate, and the answer is often the same: they have heard that summer in Belize is the wet half of the year. The short version is that the rains run from June to November, the dry months come after, and the country is not wet in the same way everywhere.
When is the rainy season in Belize?
The rainy season in Belize runs from June to November, and the dry season follows from January to May. The broad seasonal pattern has soft edges. December and January are a transition, with the green of the wet months still on the hills and the showers thinning out.
Rain here does not mean a month of gray. It means a tropical country in full leaf, with rivers running high, the Maya forest dense and loud with birds and frogs, and the coast carrying more cloud than in spring. Rain and storms are two separate matters, though, and it helps to take them one at a time.
How the months compare in Belize City
The table follows Belize City across the year. The wet months stand out clearly, and October is the heaviest of them. The air stays hot throughout, so the change from season to season is more about moisture and cloud than about temperature.
| Month (Belize City) | Average high (°F) | Average low (°F) | Rain (inches) | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 89.4 | 77.7 | 8.1 | 10.0 |
| July | 89.3 | 77.0 | 5.73 | 11.8 |
| August | 89.8 | 76.8 | 6.27 | 11.0 |
| September | 90.0 | 76.3 | 6.93 | 12.5 |
| October | 88.1 | 74.3 | 10.15 | 13.7 |
| November | 85.5 | 71.0 | 8.17 | 11.4 |
| December | 84.2 | 69.3 | 4.73 | 10.3 |
Hurricane season and the rains
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and that includes the Caribbean Sea, so it covers the whole Belize coast. Activity is thin at the start. The first named storm typically forms in mid to late June, the first hurricane tends to appear in early to mid-August, and the peak is September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October.
For Belize, hurricanes fall mostly from September to December, and coastal flooding is a particular concern in the south. The country’s history explains the respect it gets. A hurricane in 1931 destroyed over two-thirds of the buildings in Belize City, and after Hurricane Hattie in 1961 the capital was moved to the planned city of Belmopan, about 50 miles inland.
An average Atlantic season brings 14 named storms, and the National Hurricane Center counts a hurricane from sustained winds of 74 mph. For travel from September to November, keep plans flexible, since hurricanes fall mostly in those months.
What the wet months feel like
June is when the change begins, with rain days doubling from May and the first heavy totals. July and August bring a little less rain in total, with highs near 90°F and warm nights, so the sea around the cayes is a warm companion to a hot day. October is the wettest month in the Belize City table, and by November the air begins to lose its heaviness.
Travelers who come in these months find the landscape at its greenest, with waterfalls fuller and the jungle thick around the Maya sites. Cave visits in the Cayo District need a licensed guide at any time of year, since entering the caves without one is dangerous and illegal.
What is the dry season like?
The dry season is the warm, bright stretch from January to May, when showers become the exception and the days turn hotter as spring goes on. In coastal regions the average temperature is about 75°F in January, and the heat builds from there toward the summer peak.
It is the season of long beach days, of reef boats heading out under clear skies, and of dusty roads in the interior. The air near the water is easy in the early months and grows heavier by May, so the pattern is gentle at first and then steadily hotter.
The months, one by one
February to April form the driest core. March is the driest month of all in Belize City, with only a few days of rain and highs in the mid-80s. April brings the first real heat, with highs near 89°F, and in May the rain starts creeping back with a few more showery days.
| Month (Belize City) | Average high (°F) | Average low (°F) | Rain (inches) | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 83.2 | 68.0 | 4.97 | 10.3 |
| February | 84.9 | 70.0 | 2.62 | 5.6 |
| March | 86.4 | 71.7 | 1.42 | 3.9 |
| April | 88.6 | 74.8 | 1.81 | 3.3 |
| May | 89.9 | 77.0 | 3.8 | 5.3 |
January, the lingering wet
January counts as dry on the calendar, but in Belize City it still sees about as many rain days as December. Think of it as a drying-out month, with cooler lows near 68°F and a fresh feel in the evening. It suits a traveler who likes green scenery and mild nights more than a guarantee of sun.
From February the pattern settles. Skies are brighter, rain days drop by almost half, and the coast warms toward the spring. Visitors who want the clearest spell in the whole year tend to aim for the weeks between February and April.
Late dry season and the warm sea
By May, Belize City highs sit near 90°F and lows near 77°F, so nights stay warm. The heat is a good reason to plan the day around the water, and the barrier reef, at about 200 miles the longest in the western hemisphere, gives plenty of reason to be on or near it.
May is also the bridge between seasons. Rain starts creeping back in May, and the Atlantic hurricane season opens just after, on June 1. Travelers who stay through the transition see the landscape turn from tan to green within a few weeks.
How does the rain change from north to south?
Rain grows steadily heavier as you travel south: the north and west of Belize receive about 53 inches in an average year, while the extreme south receives more than 177 inches. A traveler moving from Corozal toward Punta Gorda is crossing one of the sharpest rain gradients in Central America.
The same slope shapes the calendar. In the south the dry season is shorter, normally lasting only from February to April, so the window of reliably drier weather is only about three months wide. In the north and center the dry spell is longer, running from January to May.
The north and west
The north and west of the country are the driest parts, and the Cayo District, with its Maya sites and river valleys, sits in that western zone. Here the wet season brings green hills and swollen rivers, but the yearly rainfall stays near the lower end of the national range.
A traveler building a trip around Maya ruins or jungle lodges in the west will find that the long dry season leaves a wide window from January to May. Even in the wet months, the same area sees far less rain over a year than the south does.
The south
The extreme south is the wettest corner, home to the Cockscomb Range, whose peak, Doyle’s Delight, rises to 3,688 feet and is the highest point in the country. Heavy rain and the shorter dry season go together here, and coastal flooding is a recognized hazard in the south.
For a visit to places such as Placencia, Hopkins or Punta Gorda, February to April is the stretch to look at first. Outside it, expect the greener, wetter version of the south, with rivers that run high and trails that stay damp for long periods.
Choosing where to be, and when
- For the longest stretch of drier weather, the north and west offer January to May.
- For the south, February to April is the reliable window.
- For lush scenery and fewer dry-season habits, the wet months from June to November show the country in full green.
- For travel from September to December, keep plans flexible, since hurricanes fall mostly in those months.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Belize Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, because of crime, and says the south side of Belize City has historically had the highest concentration of violent crime.
Three banks have ATMs that accept Mastercard in Belize: Belize Bank, Scotiabank and Atlantic Bank, which is useful to know before heading to a caye or a lodge in the interior. English is the official language, so reading signs and talking with guides is straightforward. For a wet-season trip, the real planning question is the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 and is most active between mid-August and mid-October.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Climate of Belize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Geography of Belize (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Belize (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Belize), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 11, 2026
- NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BHM00078583 (Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, Belize City), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BHM00078583), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Belize Travel Advisory, Level 2, March 11, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 11, 2026