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What to pack for Panama in October

October trips often include the Yamim Tovim, in the wettest month of the city’s year (331 mm (13 in) at its weather station). Pack a rain jacket each, quick-drying clothes and a spare pair of shoes. For Sukkot, arrange a lulav and etrog and a place to eat in a sukkah through the community or Chabad before you travel, and bring Yom Tov clothes and candles for every night.

Your list

October · Panama City · 2 adults · 38 items

  • Panama City91° / 69°F · 331 mm

October averages: Panama City’s weather station, NASA POWER elsewhere. The full weather for October.

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Documents

  • Source: Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá

Rain and heat

  • Panama City averages 331 mm (13 in) of rain in October.

  • Rainy months are humid too, so clothes dry slowly.

  • Average daytime highs of about 91°F in October.

Clothes and shoes

  • Casco Viejo’s streets are cobbled.

Health and sun

  • Panama is about 9° north of the equator, so the midday sun is high all year.

  • Some nature reserves ask visitors to bring them.

Shul

For Shabbat (most stays include one)

  • Or ask your hotel first what it allows in rooms.

  • Hotels, with their Shabbat details

  • Request Shabbat meals

  • Eruv map

Yom Tov and the calendar

  • Outside Israel, as in Panama, most Yamim Tovim are two days.

  • On a second night, candles are lit after nightfall from a flame that was already burning. Yom Tov times

  • Yom Kippur.

  • We haven’t confirmed who supplies sets in Panama, so ask early.

  • We haven’t confirmed those rules.

Food

Phones, plugs and power

  • Panama uses Type A and B sockets at 120 V and 60 Hz, like the US and Canada. Source: WorldStandards

  • Buying a local SIM needs a passport.

Shabbat and Yom Tov in October 2027

The next October. Candle lighting and the end of each, in Panama City, Panama time.

  • Rosh Hashana I–II and Shabbat

    Fri, Oct 1 – Sun, Oct 3, 2027

    Candles 5:50 PM on Fri, Oct 1. Ends 6:43 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 6:39 PM (Chabad).

  • Shabbat · Ha’azinu

    Fri, Oct 8 – Sat, Oct 9, 2027

    Candles 5:47 PM on Fri, Oct 8. Ends 6:40 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 6:36 PM (Chabad).

    Shabbat Shuva

  • Yom Kippur

    Sun, Oct 10 – Mon, Oct 11, 2027

    Candles 5:46 PM on Sun, Oct 10. Ends 6:39 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 6:35 PM (Chabad).

  • Sukkot I–II and Shabbat

    Fri, Oct 15 – Sun, Oct 17, 2027

    Candles 5:43 PM on Fri, Oct 15. Ends 6:36 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 6:33 PM (Chabad).

  • Shmini Atzeret, Simchat Torah and Shabbat

    Fri, Oct 22 – Sun, Oct 24, 2027

    Candles 5:40 PM on Fri, Oct 22. Ends 6:33 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 6:30 PM (Chabad).

  • Shabbat · Bereshit

    Fri, Oct 29 – Sat, Oct 30, 2027

    Candles 5:38 PM on Fri, Oct 29. Ends 6:32 PM (Shevet Ahim · Beth El) or 6:29 PM (Chabad).

Festivals and fasts in these dates

  • Rosh Hashana: Sat, Oct 2 – Sun, Oct 3, 2027 (begins the evening before)
  • Tzom Gedaliah: Mon, Oct 4, 2027
  • Yom Kippur: Mon, Oct 11, 2027 (begins the evening before)
  • Sukkot: Sat, Oct 16 – Fri, Oct 22, 2027 (begins the evening before)
  • Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah: Sat, Oct 23 – Sun, Oct 24, 2027

Every time for these dates, with a calendar file, is on the Shabbat times page. A second night of Yom Tov lists the earliest time to light.

Dates, Yom Tov and the parasha from Hebcal.com (CC BY 4.0). Times computed by us.

Day trips in October

Panama City
Rainy: 331 mm, wetter than September (254 mm); rain on about 20 days at the station. Sea about 84°F. From Paitilla or Punta Pacífica, the Cinta Costera waterfront is a walk, with no transport needed, so it works on Shabbat too.
Boquete
Rainy: 353 mm, wetter than September (276 mm). Too far for a day: fly to David or drive about six hours, and stay over with Chabad Boquete’s kosher food.
Pacific beaches
Rainy: 360 mm, about as wet as September. Sea about 84°F. No kosher food on the way: pack a cooler.
Gamboa
Rainy: 318 mm, wetter than September (273 mm). About 25 km from the city; go at dawn for wildlife, and bring all your food.
San Blas (Guna Yala)
Rainy: 348 mm, about as wet as September. Sea about 85°F. A very long day by 4x4 and boat from Cartí: bring every passport, all your food and drinking water.
Bocas del Toro
Rainy: 442 mm, wetter than September (324 mm). Sea about 85°F.

Rain: Panama City’s weather station, NASA POWER elsewhere. Travel facts from our day trips guide.

Questions people ask

Do I need a rain jacket for Panama in October?
Yes. Panama City’s weather station averages 331 mm (13 in) of rain in October, so bring a light rain jacket or a compact umbrella for everyone, plus quick-drying clothes.
What should I wear in Panama in October?
Light, breathable clothes, sun hats and sunglasses: Panama City’s weather station averages 91°F by day and 69°F at night in October (WMO, 1971–2000). Add modest clothes for shul, a light layer for strong air-conditioning, and a warmer one for Boquete.
Which Jewish holidays fall in October 2027?
Rosh Hashana: Sat, Oct 2 – Sun, Oct 3, 2027 (begins the evening before); Yom Kippur: Mon, Oct 11, 2027 (begins the evening before); Sukkot: Sat, Oct 16 – Fri, Oct 22, 2027 (begins the evening before); Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah: Sat, Oct 23 – Sun, Oct 24, 2027, from Hebcal’s calendar for outside Israel. The packing list adds what each one needs.

Lists by month

The reasons behind each item, with sources, are in our packing guide for observant families.

Where the numbers come from

  • Monthly averages: NASA POWER daily data for 2016–2025 (fetched Tue, Nov 10, 2026), averaged by us: the average day’s high and low, the month’s total rain, humidity and cloud. Each figure covers a grid square of roughly 55 by 70 km of land and sea, so Panama City’s afternoons come out about 4.2°C cooler than at the city’s own weather station.
  • Panama City’s figures lead with its weather station normals (1971–2000): World Meteorological Organization, from Panama’s weather service (IMHPA). A rain day there is a day with at least 0.1 mm.
  • Left out on purpose: NASA POWER’s rain-day counts, because its model drizzles on most days and counts about 27 “rain days” in a wet-season month where Panama City’s station records 14 to 20; and its UV index, which is a 24-hour average far below the midday peak you feel. Rain days on these pages are the station’s, for Panama City only.
  • Our rain bands: “dry” is under 60 mm in the month, “rainy” over 200 mm, and “some rain” in between.
  • Forecasts: Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), refreshed at most every half hour.
  • Sea temperature: NOAA OISST v2.1 (NOAA NCEI’s daily 0.25° sea-surface temperature analysis, Version v02r01), 2016–2025, averaged by us for one grid cell per sea: Panama Bay (Pacific) (8.625°N, 79.375°W, the open bay south of Panama City); Guna Yala coast (Caribbean) (9.625°N, 78.875°W, off the San Blas islands); Off Bocas del Toro (Caribbean) (9.625°N, 82.125°W, just north of the Bocas del Toro islands). Fetched Tue, Nov 10, 2026. US government data, free to use.

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