Palawan in December: holiday crowds, weather and booking dates
On PAGASA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals, December sits in the cool dry part of the dry season: Coron and Cuyo average 5 to 6 rainy days and 71 to 90 mm of rain, while Puerto Princesa still averages 174.9 mm over 9 rainy days. Daytime highs sit around 30.9 to 32.3 °C and overnight lows around 24.1 to 25.7 °C at the three Palawan stations.
How this page is built: we compile PAGASA station normals, PAGASA climate and cyclone pages, Coast Guard heavy-weather rules, and the official 2026 holiday proclamation. Nothing here is first-hand, and normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast for your dates.
PAGASA normals describe averages. For a specific trip, check PAGASA's current forecasts and any Coast Guard sea travel suspension in the days before you sail.
At a glance
| Topic | What the sources say | Source, checked Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Season | PAGASA's dry season runs December to May; cool dry from December to February | PAGASA Climate of the Philippines |
| Rain (Dec) | Puerto Princesa 174.9 mm / 9 rainy days; Coron 90.3 mm / 6; Cuyo 71.0 mm / 5 | PAGASA normals 1991 to 2020 |
| Temperature (Dec) | Max 30.9 to 32.3 °C; min 24.1 to 25.7 °C across the three stations | PAGASA normals 1991 to 2020 |
| Typhoon peak | National peak is July to October (nearly 70% of typhoons); December is after the peak but not risk-free | PAGASA Tropical Cyclone Information; Odette Dec 2021 |
| 2026 Dec holidays | Dec 8 (Immaculate Conception), Dec 24 (Christmas Eve), Dec 25 (Christmas Day), Dec 30 (Rizal Day), Dec 31 (Last Day of the Year); New Year's Day Jan 1, 2027 | Proclamation No. 1006 |
| Boats | Coast Guard MC 02-23 can stop vessels when Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 or higher is raised | Philippine Coast Guard MC 02-23 |
Direct link SafetyWing travel medical insurance
December weather by station
A rainy day in PAGASA's normals is a 24-hour period from 8 am with at least 1 mm of rain. Rainfall is in millimetres. These December rows are the same figures published on Best time to visit Palawan.
| Station | Rain (mm) | Rainy days | Max / min (°C) | Source, checked Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Princesa | 174.9 | 9 | 31.0 / 24.3 | PAGASA normals 1991 to 2020 |
| Coron | 90.3 | 6 | 32.3 / 24.1 | PAGASA normals 1991 to 2020 |
| Cuyo | 71.0 | 5 | 30.9 / 25.7 | PAGASA normals 1991 to 2020 |
Coron and Cuyo, in the north and in the Sulu Sea, are clearly into the drier half of the year by December. Puerto Princesa, on the east coast of mainland Palawan, still carries more rain into December than the northern stations: its wettest month in the normals is October, and November and December still average 175 to 196 mm.
El Nido has no PAGASA station in the normals set. Coron is the nearest northern station, so treat Coron as a regional guide rather than an El Nido reading. For the full 12-month tables, see Best time to visit Palawan.
Does it rain a lot in December?
For Palawan specifically, December rain is moderate by Philippine standards at Coron and Cuyo (5 to 6 rainy days), and higher at Puerto Princesa (9 rainy days, 174.9 mm). PAGASA classifies December as the start of the national dry season (December to May), with the cool dry stretch from December to February.
A Philippines-wide December answer will differ by island group. This page sticks to the three Palawan stations. If your question was about the country as a whole, start with PAGASA's Climate of the Philippines page, then come back here for Palawan numbers.
Holidays and booking windows in December 2026
Proclamation No. 1006 (Sep 3, 2025) sets the 2026 national holidays. The December cluster is:
| Date (2026) | Observance | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 8 (Tuesday) | Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary | Special (non-working) |
| Dec 24 (Thursday) | Christmas Eve | Additional special (non-working) |
| Dec 25 (Friday) | Christmas Day | Regular holiday |
| Dec 30 (Wednesday) | Rizal Day | Regular holiday |
| Dec 31 (Thursday) | Last Day of the Year | Special (non-working) |
| Jan 1, 2027 (Thursday) | New Year's Day | Regular holiday |
The proclamation's WHEREAS clause says Declaring Dec 24, 2026 as an additional special (non-working) day is meant to give more time for Christmas activities and to promote domestic tourism. That is an official policy reason, not a hotel occupancy report. We do not have a sourced Palawan occupancy series for Christmas week, so we do not invent crowd or rate claims here. If you are travelling over the Dec 24 to Jan 1 stretch, check live ferry, flight and hotel inventory for your dates rather than relying on averages.
Direct link El Nido hotels on Booking.com
Typhoons and sea travel in December
PAGASA says about 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility each year, and about 8 or 9 of them cross the country. The season peaks from July to October, when nearly 70% of typhoons develop.
December is after that peak, but it is not typhoon-free in Palawan. Typhoon Odette (Rai) made its ninth landfall in Roxas, Palawan at 3:10 pm on Dec 17, 2021 with maximum sustained winds of 150 kph, according to PAGASA as reported by the Inquirer.
For island hopping and ferries, the weather on the day counts more than the monthly average. Under Philippine Coast Guard Memorandum Circular 02-23, vessels may not sail, except to take shelter, when Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 or higher is raised at the origin, along the route or at the destination. Tour pages for El Nido island hopping tours and Coron island tours cover how operators handle Coast Guard suspensions.
Direct link El Nido Tour A (Lagoons and Beaches) on GetYourGuide
Related pages
- Best time to visit Palawan
- El Nido island hopping tours
- Coron island tours
- El Nido vs Coron
- Palawan trip cost
- Is Palawan safe?
- How to get to Palawan
Last checked Oct 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Weather figures are PAGASA's official 1991 to 2020 station normals; holiday dates are from Proclamation No. 1006 for 2026.
FAQs
Does it rain a lot in December in the Philippines?
Nationally, PAGASA puts December in the dry season (December to May). In Palawan, Coron and Cuyo average 5 to 6 rainy days in December, while Puerto Princesa averages 9 rainy days and 174.9 mm.
What is the weather like in Coron, Philippines in December?
PAGASA's Coron normals for December show 90.3 mm of rain over 6 rainy days, with a maximum of 32.3 °C and a minimum of 24.1 °C.
When is the best time to go to Palawan, Philippines?
On PAGASA's 1991 to 2020 normals, February to April has the fewest rainy days at all three Palawan stations (2 to 5 a month). December is already in the dry season at Coron and Cuyo, with more leftover rain at Puerto Princesa. Full month tables: Best time to visit Palawan.
Is it cold in Palawan?
No by temperate standards. December overnight lows at the three stations average 24.1 to 25.7 °C, and daytime highs 30.9 to 32.3 °C. PAGASA calls December to February the "cool dry" part of the dry season relative to the hotter March to May stretch.
Is December a good time to visit Palawan?
December is in PAGASA's dry season. Coron and Cuyo average 5 to 6 rainy days; Puerto Princesa still averages 174.9 mm over 9 rainy days. The 2021 Odette landfall shows December typhoons can happen, so check forecasts and Coast Guard notices before boat days. Holiday dates in late December create long weekends that the government has linked to domestic tourism in Proclamation No. 1006.
Sources
- PAGASA, Climatological Normals 1991 to 2020, Puerto Princesa station (checked Oct 2026)
- PAGASA, Climatological Normals 1991 to 2020, Coron station (checked Oct 2026)
- PAGASA, Climatological Normals 1991 to 2020, Cuyo station (checked Oct 2026)
- PAGASA, Climate of the Philippines (checked Oct 2026)
- PAGASA, Tropical Cyclone Information (checked Oct 2026)
- Inquirer, Typhoon Odette makes 9th landfall in Roxas municipality in Palawan, citing PAGASA (Dec 17, 2021) (checked Oct 2026)
- Philippine Coast Guard MC 02-23, Revised guidelines on movement of vessels during heavy weather (PDF hosted by a PCG district maritime safety site) (checked Oct 2026)
- Proclamation No. 1006 (Sep 3, 2025), Declaring the regular holidays and special (non-working) days for the year 2026, via the Lawphil Project (checked Oct 2026)