La Rioja weather in December

In December, La Rioja sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 85 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is La Rioja's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see La Rioja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
1st warmest
Overnight low
21°
11th coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
6:27 AM – 8:20 PM
Cloud cover
45%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

La Rioja is city in Capital Department, La Rioja Province, Argentina.

Density
13,116/km²
people per km²
Founded
1591

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical December day in La Rioja reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23120
33120
43120
53120
63120
73120
83120
93120
103220
113221
123221
133221
143221
153221
163221
173221
183221
193321
203321
213321
223322
233322
243322
253322
263322
273322
283322
293322
303322
313322

How December really feels in La Rioja

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 17 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
17
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

La Rioja weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°10211.213.73.9
Feb31° / 21°769.613.14.8
Mar28° / 19°789.812.26.1
Apr24° / 15°477.911.37.4
May20° / 11°295.510.57.1
Jun17° / 153.410.26.5
Jul17° / 102.210.37.0
Aug21° / 102.110.98.3
Sep24° / 12°243.411.88.5
Oct28° / 16°48612.77.1
Nov30° / 19°617.713.55.3
Dec32° / 21°859.313.84.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
46931
56931
66931
76931
86931
97030
107030
117129
127030
137030
147129
157129
167129
177228
187228
197030
207129
217030
227030
237030
246931
256931
266832
276733
286733
296634
306634
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

La Rioja gets around 85 mm of rain over 9.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
232
332
431
531
631
731
831
930
1030
1130
1229
1329
1429
1529
1628
1728
1828
1928
2028
2129
2229
2330
2430
2531
2631
2732
2832
2932
3033
3133

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1312831100
2302832101
3292832101
4282833111
5282733111
6272733121
7262733121
8262733131
9252832141
10252832141
11242832151
12242831161
13242831161
14232831172
15232730182
16232730182
17232630192
18232530202
19232430212
20222330223
21222230233
22212130244
23212031254
24201931254
25201831265
26191732275
27181732285
28181632296
29171532306
30161532316
31151532327

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 8:10 PM to 8:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.76:258:10
213.86:258:10
313.86:258:11
413.86:258:12
513.86:258:13
613.86:258:13
713.86:258:14
813.86:258:15
913.86:258:15
1013.86:268:16
1113.86:268:17
1213.96:268:17
1313.96:268:18
1413.96:278:19
1513.96:278:19
1613.96:278:20
1713.96:288:20
1813.96:288:21
1913.96:288:21
2013.96:298:22
2113.96:298:23
2213.96:308:23
2313.96:308:23
2413.96:318:24
2513.96:318:24
2613.96:328:25
2713.96:328:25
2813.96:338:25
2913.96:348:26
3013.96:348:26
3113.96:358:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.72 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.72 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for La Rioja

In seasonPeak

In December, La Rioja sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

La Rioja's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit La Rioja?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit La Rioja for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for La Rioja in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, La Rioja sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in La Rioja in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in La Rioja peaks around January 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateVery highExtremeJan 20UV 14Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is La Rioja?

La Rioja sits at 29.4°S, 66.9°W, 493 m above sea level, in Argentina. The nearest listed city is Chilecito, 68 km away.

Cruz del EjeAguilaresDeán Funes

Topography around La Rioja

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of La Rioja.

Within 3 km, the terrain around La Rioja has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 m around an average of 516 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,895 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,858 m.

The land around La Rioja is covered by artificial surfaces (70%) within 3 km, shrubs (58%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and shrubs (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
141 m
16 km
1,895 m
80 km
3,858 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Chilecito 68 km · Aimogasta 95 km · Catamarca 148 km · San Isidro 153 km · Belén 197 km · Cruz del Eje 246 km · Aguilares 252 km · Deán Funes 266 km

Argentina travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$14,898
2025
Happiness
6.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.5
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 575
Religion
Roman Catholic 63%none 19%Evangelical 15%Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for La Rioja (-29.4133°, -66.8564°, elevation 493 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).