Santa Cruz weather in December

In December, Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 165 mm of rain across 17.8 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of December to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Santa Cruz's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
4th warmest
Overnight low
22°
11th coldest
Rainfall
165 mm
17.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:37 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
78%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Santa Cruz is city in eastern Bolivia.

Density
3,423/km²
people per km²
Founded
1561

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Santa Cruz reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63022
73022
83022
93022
103022
113022
123022
133022
143022
153022
163022
173022
183022
193022
203022
213022
223022
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How December really feels in Santa Cruz

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
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.

Santa Cruz weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°17218.112.93.8
Feb30° / 22°13916.712.64.0
Mar30° / 22°11814.612.14.4
Apr29° / 20°6510.711.65.6
May26° / 18°6110.411.26.6
Jun24° / 17°538.9117.0
Jul25° / 16°446.1117.6
Aug28° / 18°445.311.47.1
Sep30° / 20°66711.95.5
Oct31° / 21°8510.512.44.5
Nov31° / 22°11813.112.84.2
Dec30° / 22°16517.8133.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32179
42080
52080
62179
72080
82080
92080
102179
112278
122278
132278
142377
152377
162377
172476
182476
192476
202476
212575
222476
232476
242278
252278
262179
272179
282179
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Santa Cruz gets around 165 mm of rain over 17.8 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 57% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
253
354
455
555
656
756
856
957
1057
1157
1257
1357
1457
1557
1657
1757
1857
1957
2057
2157
2258
2358
2458
2559
2659
2760
2860
2960
3060
3160

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 74% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 92% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10292564
20292564
30292465
40292465
50282367
60282268
70282268
80282169
91272169
101272070
111262071
121262071
131261972
141251973
151151875
161151875
171151776
181141777
191141678
201141678
211141579
221141579
230141481
240141481
250131482
260131383
270131383
280131383
290131383
300031384
310031483

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of December to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:336:32
213.05:336:33
313.05:336:33
413.05:336:34
513.05:346:35
613.05:346:35
713.05:346:36
813.05:346:36
913.05:356:37
1013.05:356:37
1113.05:356:38
1213.05:366:39
1313.15:366:39
1413.15:366:40
1513.15:376:40
1613.15:376:41
1713.15:386:41
1813.15:386:42
1913.15:386:42
2013.15:396:43
2113.15:396:43
2213.15:406:44
2313.15:406:44
2413.15:416:45
2513.15:416:45
2613.15:426:45
2713.15:426:46
2813.15:436:46
2913.15:436:47
3013.15:446:47
3113.15:446:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
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's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Santa Cruz?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Santa Cruz.

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 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Santa Cruz in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (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 January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jul 14UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

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 September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.8× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateSep 1935 µg/m³May 138 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr8Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul11Good
Aug21Moderate
Sep37Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Cruz?

Santa Cruz sits at 17.8°S, 63.2°W, 433 m above sea level, in Bolivia. The nearest listed city is Cotoca, 14 km away.

Ascención de GuarayosMizqueCamiri

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 29 m around an average of 414 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,022 m.

The land around Santa Cruz is covered by artificial surfaces (89%) within 3 km, trees (36%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (47%), grassland (25%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
29 m
16 km
171 m
80 km
2,022 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Cotoca 14 km · Warnes 30 km · El Torno 32 km · Montero 50 km · Villa Yapacaní 81 km · Ascención de Guarayos 211 km · Mizque 229 km · Camiri 253 km

Bolivia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 40% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,148
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
21.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
Roman Catholic 65%Protestant 20%none 6%other 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 (-17.7863°, -63.1812°, elevation 433 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. 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).