Palawan in January: weather, sea conditions and holiday dates

How this page is built: we compile PAGASA station normals, PAGASA monsoon, gale warning and cyclone pages, Coast Guard heavy-weather rules, and the official 2027 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 gale warning, the day's forecast and any Coast Guard sea travel suspension before you sail.

At a glance

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January 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, wind is the prevailing direction and the average speed in metres per second.

January is much drier than December at all three stations. Puerto Princesa drops from 174.9 mm over 9 rainy days in December to 55.6 mm over 5 in January, and Coron from 90.3 mm to 19.2 mm. The December rows are on Palawan in December.

The wind figures are station averages measured on land, about 7 to 14 km/h. They are not open-sea readings and they hide the stronger surges that drive gale warnings, so use them as a background guide only.

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. The full 12-month tables are on Best time to visit Palawan.

Is January a dry month in Palawan?

Yes, on the averages. PAGASA's normals put January inside the January to April stretch that has the fewest rainy days at all three Palawan stations. Puerto Princesa, on the east coast of mainland Palawan, is the wettest of the three in January, with 55.6 mm, while Coron and Cuyo average under 20 mm.

The normals do not rule out wet spells. PAGASA's Amihan notice says shear lines are expected within the season, and the Amihan itself is described by PAGASA as cold winds from the northeast that bring rains over the eastern side of the country.

Amihan winds and sea conditions in January

PAGASA declared the onset of the Northeast Monsoon (Amihan) on Oct 27, 2025, and said the Amihan was expected to bring cool and dry air, episodes of cold temperature surges, and occurrences of rough sea conditions and shear lines within the season. On Mar 23, 2026, PAGASA announced the termination of the Northeast Monsoon, when the wind shifted from northeasterly to easterly. That puts January squarely inside the season. PAGASA announces each season's dates separately, so check its notices for the 2026 to 2027 cycle.

When winds are strong, PAGASA issues a gale warning. Its warning text says the warnings are for sea areas within 30 nautical miles of the coast, and that sea travel is risky for small seacraft, including all motor bancas of any type or tonnage, whose crews are advised to remain in port or seek safe harbor. In rough to high or worse seas, PAGASA says sea travel is risky for vessels of any type or tonnage.

In January 2026, the sea bulletins reported by Rappler put mainland Palawan, the Calamian Islands and the Cuyo Islands in the "up to moderate seas" band, which carries a note that small vessels should take precautionary measures or avoid sailing, if possible. On Jan 17, 2026, the western seaboards of the Calamian Islands and mainland Palawan, and the Cuyo Islands, had waves up to 2 meters. On Jan 21, 2026, the remaining seaboards of Palawan had waves up to 2 meters and the Cuyo Islands up to 2.5 meters. The Jan 21 report also says a gale warning was issued that afternoon due to the northeast monsoon, and it put the Kalayaan Islands in the "up to rough seas" band, with waves up to 3 meters. Those are two days from one season, not an average.

For island hopping and ferries, the forecast on the day counts more than the monthly average. Day trips and the El Nido to Coron crossing both depend on the sea state, so leave a buffer day before an onward flight.

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Typhoons in January

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.

January is outside that peak, but it is not cyclone-free. According to Rappler's reports of PAGASA bulletins, Tropical Storm Ada (Nokaen) was the first tropical cyclone of 2026. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h on the morning of Jan 17, did not make landfall in the Philippines, and weakened into a low pressure area on Jan 21. The highest wind signal raised for Ada was Signal No. 2, and no Palawan area was under a wind signal in the Jan 17 update. PAGASA's outlook for the first half of 2026, as reported by Rappler, expected 0 or 1 tropical cyclone in January.

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.

Holidays in January 2027

Proclamation No. 1427 (Sep 8, 2026) sets the 2027 national holidays. The only national holiday in January 2027 is New Year's Day, Friday Jan 1, 2027, a regular holiday. Jan 1 to 3, 2027 runs Friday to Sunday, so it is a three-day weekend. Chinese New Year falls on Saturday Feb 6, 2027, outside January this time.

We do not have a sourced Palawan occupancy series for January, so we do not make crowd or rate claims here. If you travel over New Year, check live ferry, flight and hotel inventory for your dates rather than relying on averages. Other trip costs are on Palawan trip cost.

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Related pages

• Best time to visit Palawan
• Palawan in December
• El Nido island hopping tours
• Coron island tours
• El Nido to Coron
• El Nido vs Coron
• 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. 1427 for 2027.

FAQs

What is the average temperature in the Philippines in January?

PAGASA says January is the coolest month nationally, with a mean temperature of 25.5 °C averaged over all stations except Baguio. Palawan runs warmer: January mean temperatures are 27.3 °C at Puerto Princesa and 28.0 °C at Coron and Cuyo.

Is January a good time to visit Palawan?

On rainfall, January is one of the driest months at all three PAGASA stations in Palawan, with 3 to 5 rainy days. The trade-off is the Amihan: PAGASA expects rough sea episodes during the season, and gale warnings advise motor bancas to stay in port. Check the day's warnings before boat days.

Are the seas rough in Palawan in January?

Sometimes. January is in the northeast monsoon season, and PAGASA issues gale warnings when winds strengthen. On Jan 17 and 21, 2026, mainland Palawan's seaboards were in the "up to moderate seas" band, with waves up to 2 meters, as reported by Rappler from PAGASA bulletins. A gale warning on Jan 21 was due to the northeast monsoon.

Is Palawan rainy in October?

Yes. October is Puerto Princesa's wettest month on PAGASA's normals, at 212.9 mm over 15 rainy days. Coron averages 241.2 mm over 14 rainy days and Cuyo 260.8 mm over 14, although both are wetter still from July to September.

What is the weather like in Palawan in May?

May is the switch month. Rain jumps from April's levels to 125.8 mm over 10 rainy days at Puerto Princesa, 186.9 mm over 11 at Coron and 178.4 mm over 11 at Cuyo, and maximum temperatures average 32.9 to 33.5 °C.

Which month is the wettest in Palawan?

On PAGASA's 1991 to 2020 normals, July is the wettest month at Coron (521.5 mm over 21 rainy days) and Cuyo (408.9 mm over 21), and October is the wettest at Puerto Princesa (212.9 mm over 15). We do not rank months to avoid; the full tables are on Best time to visit Palawan.