On Lake Atitlán the wind is the weather that decides a boat crossing, and the towns around the lake are linked by lancha. This page takes the forecast for Panajachel for about the next five days and splits each day’s wind and gusts into morning (6 AM to noon) and afternoon (noon to 6 PM), next to the afternoon rain chance, so you can see which days have a rough afternoon forecast before you plan a crossing.
The week: morning wind against afternoon wind
Pulled Nov 8, 2026 at 21:04 Guatemala time from MET Norway and OpenWeather.
Weather data provided by OpenWeather
Data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0); processed by us| Day | Wind 6am–noon | Gusts 6am–noon | Wind noon–6pm | Gusts noon–6pm | Rain chance noon–6pm | High / low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Nov 9 | 12 km/h (7 mph) | 29 km/h (18 mph) | 7 km/h (4 mph) | 23 km/h (14 mph) | 57% | 24°C (75°F) / 18°C (64°F) |
| Tue Nov 10 | 11 km/h (7 mph) | 27 km/h (17 mph) | 6 km/h (4 mph) | 22 km/h (14 mph) | 70% | 24°C (75°F) / 16°C (61°F) |
| Wed Nov 11 | 10 km/h (6 mph) | 19 km/h (12 mph) | 6 km/h (4 mph) | 18 km/h (11 mph) | 100% | 24°C (75°F) / 17°C (63°F) |
| Thu Nov 12 | 3 km/h (2 mph) | 12 km/h (7 mph) | 10 km/h (6 mph) | 24 km/h (15 mph) | 90% | 23°C (73°F) / 17°C (63°F) |
| Fri Nov 13 | 4 km/h (2 mph) | 14 km/h (9 mph) | 13 km/h (8 mph) | 31 km/h (19 mph) | 96% | 23°C (73°F) / 16°C (61°F) |
Point 14.7413, -91.1596 (the same Panajachel point our national forecast uses). MET Norway's temperatures are for 1,576 m there; MET gives hourly steps until Nov 11, 11 AM, then 6-hourly. Wind, gusts and rain chance come from OpenWeather's forecast steps, stamped every 3 hours (midnight, 3 AM, 6 AM and so on, Guatemala time); each cell is the highest value among the steps stamped inside that window. A forecast, not a measurement. Temperatures in °C (°F), wind in km/h (mph).
How to read it. Wind and gusts come from OpenWeather, whose forecast moves in 3-hour steps (in Guatemala time the steps in these columns are stamped at 6 AM and 9 AM, and at noon and 3 PM). Each figure is the strongest value among those steps, in km/h (mph in brackets). The afternoon columns are in bold because that is the half of the day our lancha routes guide tells you to avoid for crossings.
Why the afternoon wind is the number to watch
The lake’s afternoon wind has a name, the Xocomil. In a 2018 Prensa Libre report, Alex Guerra, director of Guatemala’s Instituto de Cambio Climático, described it as a pressure-driven wind: as the day warms, air over the warmer land draws in air from over the cooler lake, and the turbulence that results, in the report’s words, por lo general suceden después del mediodía (generally happens after midday). That is why our lancha guides tell readers to cross before 1 PM. On 27 January 2026 Prensa Libre reported that strong winds capsized the lancha Tiburón, on its way from Panajachel to San Juan La Laguna, in the waters of Santa Cruz La Laguna; two women drowned, and the captain told reporters seven people were on board. The same report says INGUAT, the tourism institute, warned about rising wind and waves on the lake and recommended that tourists and locals wear life jackets.
What to do with the table:
- A day with a much stronger afternoon than morning is a day to make the crossing in the morning and be back on your side of the lake early.
- Ask for a life jacket on every crossing, as INGUAT recommended after the January accident.
- Official service hours: INGUAT’s tourism plans for Panajachel and Santiago Atitlán record the public docks’ lancha service ending between 16:30 and 17:00 daily. The details, fares and the later times operators quote are in the lancha routes guide and Panajachel to Santiago Atitlán.
Getting there and around
Coming from Antigua or the airport: Antigua to Lake Atitlán and Guatemala City airport to Lake Atitlán. Sunrise and sunset for the lake for the week are on sunrise and sunset times in Guatemala. For which months are wetter or drier at the lake, see the best time to visit Guatemala, month by month.
Month by month: 30-year averages
For planning months ahead, this is the average weather by month over 1996-2025 at Panajachel, on the lake’s north shore (2238 mm of rain a year on average). The towns around the lake sit at different points and heights, so treat it as a guide for the lake as a whole:
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rain (mm) | Days with 1 mm or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23 °C (73 °F) | 14 °C (58 °F) | 14 | 4 |
| February | 24 °C (75 °F) | 15 °C (59 °F) | 22 | 6 |
| March | 24 °C (75 °F) | 16 °C (60 °F) | 57 | 12 |
| April | 24 °C (75 °F) | 16 °C (62 °F) | 146 | 18 |
| May | 23 °C (73 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 317 | 26 |
| June | 22 °C (72 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 405 | 27 |
| July | 23 °C (73 °F) | 17 °C (62 °F) | 221 | 21 |
| August | 23 °C (73 °F) | 17 °C (62 °F) | 274 | 23 |
| September | 22 °C (72 °F) | 17 °C (63 °F) | 392 | 28 |
| October | 22 °C (72 °F) | 17 °C (62 °F) | 286 | 24 |
| November | 22 °C (72 °F) | 16 °C (60 °F) | 80 | 12 |
| December | 22 °C (72 °F) | 15 °C (59 °F) | 22 | 5 |
Source: Open-Meteo’s historical weather archive (ERA5 reanalysis), daily values for 1996-2025 averaged by calendar month (read 4 November 2026). Reanalysis is a gridded weather-model reconstruction, not a station record, so treat these as indicative averages rather than measurements from the lake shore.
Where the forecast comes from
The table combines OpenWeather’s 5-day, 3-hour forecast (wind, gusts, rain chance) and MET Norway’s locationforecast (high and low), read once a day by our data pipeline for a fixed point at Panajachel. The stamp above the table shows when they were read. If a day’s read fails, the previous file stays in place: the page keeps showing that forecast, drops any days that have already passed when the page is rebuilt, and the stamp turns red once the forecast is more than 26 hours old. Official forecasts and warnings come from INSIVUMEH; CONRED and INSIVUMEH alerts are collected on Guatemala weather alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the weather at Lake Atitlán this week?
The table on this page is a forecast for Panajachel, on the lake’s northern shore, for about the next five days, read once a day. For each day it gives OpenWeather’s strongest wind and gust at its 3-hour steps from 6 AM to noon and from noon to 6 PM, the afternoon rain chance, and MET Norway’s high and low.
Is it windy on Lake Atitlán in the afternoon?
Compare the two wind columns for each day: the morning figures cover 6 AM to noon and the afternoon ones noon to 6 PM. In a 2018 Prensa Libre report, Alex Guerra of Guatemala’s Instituto de Cambio Climático said the lake’s turbulent wind, the Xocomil, generally comes after midday, and our lancha route guides advise crossing before 1 PM. On 27 January 2026 Prensa Libre reported that strong winds capsized a lancha in the waters of Santa Cruz La Laguna on a Panajachel to San Juan La Laguna trip, and that two women drowned.
What time do the boats stop on Lake Atitlán?
INGUAT’s tourism development plans for Panajachel and Santiago Atitlán record public-dock lancha service from early morning ending between 16:30 and 17:00 every day. Operators and hotels quote later last boats; our lancha routes guide sets out who says what. The forecast here does not change the timetable, but a windy afternoon is a reason not to leave the last crossing late.
What is the weather at Lake Atitlán by month?
Averaged over 1996-2025 in Open-Meteo’s ERA5 reanalysis archive for Panajachel, January runs about 23 °C by day and 14 °C at night with 14 mm of rain, and June, the wettest month in the series, about 22 °C and 17 °C with 405 mm. The full month-by-month table is on this page; it is a model reconstruction, not a station record.
Is the forecast for the lake or for the town?
For the fixed point 14.7413 N, 91.1596 W, the same point our national forecast uses for Panajachel. MET Norway reported its terrain height there as 1,576 m on 25 September 2026; the note under the table prints the current value. Wind over open water can differ from the wind forecast for this point, so treat the table as the day’s pattern, not a measurement on the water.
