Santa Cruz weather in December

In December, Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 64 mm of rain across 14.5 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Santa Cruz's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
8th warmest
Overnight low
26°
4th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
14.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:58 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
44%
4th clearest
Wind
31 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Santa Cruz is town in central Aruba.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Santa Cruz reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12726
22726
32726
42726
52726
62726
72726
82726
92726
102726
112726
122726
132726
142726
152726
162726
172726
182726
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302726
312725

How December really feels in Santa Cruz

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Santa Cruz weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°311011.37.2
Feb26° / 25°155.311.67.8
Mar26° / 25°113.611.97.9
Apr27° / 26°194.812.37.2
May27° / 26°285.212.67.0
Jun27° / 27°205.312.77.0
Jul27° / 27°226.112.77.1
Aug28° / 27°267.512.46.7
Sep28° / 27°6511.712.15.5
Oct28° / 27°11017.811.74.9
Nov28° / 26°13519.711.45.0
Dec27° / 26°6414.511.36.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26436
36436
46535
56535
66634
76634
86634
96733
106733
116832
126931
137030
147030
157129
167129
177228
187327
197426
207426
217525
227624
237723
247822
257822
268020
278020
288119
298218
308317
318416

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz gets around 64 mm of rain over 14.5 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 47% and peaks near 56% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
156
256
355
455
554
653
753
852
951
1050
1149
1249
1348
1447
1546
1646
1745
1844
1944
2043
2143
2243
2343
2442
2542
2642
2742
2841
2941
3040
3139

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
116831
217029
317128
417326
517425
617623
717722
817920
918019
1018118
1118217
1218316
1318316
1428315
1528414
1628414
1728513
1828513
1928612
2038512
2138611
2238611
2338710
2438710
253889
263898
273898
283907
293916
302926
312935

Wind in December

Winds average 31 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 29 km/h on the calmest days to 33 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
129windy
230windy
330windy
430windy
530windy
630windy
730windy
831windy
931windy
1031windy
1131windy
1231windy
1331windy
1431windy
1531windy
1631windy
1732windy
1832windy
1932windy
2032windy
2132windy
2232windy
2332windy
2432windy
2532windy
2633windy
2733windy
2833windy
2933windy
3033windy
3133windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 7:05 AM, and sunset from 6:09 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:506:09
211.36:516:09
311.36:516:10
411.36:526:10
511.36:526:10
611.36:536:11
711.36:536:11
811.36:546:11
911.36:546:11
1011.36:556:12
1111.36:556:12
1211.36:566:13
1311.36:566:13
1411.36:576:13
1511.36:586:14
1611.36:586:14
1711.36:596:15
1811.36:596:15
1911.37:006:15
2011.37:006:16
2111.37:016:16
2211.37:016:17
2311.37:016:17
2411.37:026:18
2511.37:026:18
2611.37:036:19
2711.37:036:19
2811.37:046:20
2911.37:046:20
3011.37:046:21
3111.37:056:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.97 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in August across the year — December's 4.97 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Cruz sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Santa Cruz's rainy season runs September–December, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Santa Cruz?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Santa Cruz in December

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

In December, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 26°C. Pack rain gear and a windbreaker. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain geara windbreakerlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Cruz in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Warm
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Santa Cruz in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around March 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 24UV 13Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Santa Cruz in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Santa Cruz is worst in June — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJun 1734 µg/m³Dec 1911 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz sits at 12.5°N, 70.0°W, 34 m above sea level, in Aruba. The nearest listed city is Oranjestad, 5.0 km away.

OranjestadTanki LeendertSavanetaNoordPalm Beach

Topography around Santa Cruz

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 143 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 731 m.

The land around Santa Cruz is covered by shrubs (39%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 3 km, water (78%) within 16 km, and water (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
143 m
16 km
184 m
80 km
731 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Oranjestad 5.0 km · Tanki Leendert 5.0 km · Savaneta 8.0 km · Noord 8.0 km · Palm Beach 9.0 km · Pueblo Nuevo 63 km · Santa Cruz de los Taques 82 km · Judibana 86 km

Aruba travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B / F
127 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 75% of US
price level, 2024
GDP per capita
$38,591
2024
Homicide rate
1.9
per 100k, 2014
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 75%other 12%none 6%Protestant 5%

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 Santa Cruz (12.5095°, -69.9809°, elevation 34 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).