Illapel weather in December

In December, Illapel sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.4 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of December to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Illapel's 3rd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Illapel's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
6:39 AM – 8:42 PM
Cloud cover
13%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
9.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.4
out of 10

Illapel is city in Chile.

Density
3,467/km²
people per km²
Founded
1752

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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Illapel reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12212
22212
32312
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102313
112313
122313
132313
142313
152313
162313
172313
182313
192313
202313
212413
222413
232413
242413
252414
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

Illapel weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 14°10.313.89.6
Feb24° / 14°10.213.29.6
Mar23° / 13°6112.29.2
Apr20° / 10°132.111.28.1
May18° / 403.710.46.7
Jun15° / 745.2105.4
Jul15° / 485.210.15.2
Aug16° / 505.110.85.7
Sep17° / 223.911.86.6
Oct19° / 142.412.87.7
Nov22° / 11°3113.68.7
Dec23° / 13°20.4149.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 90% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 5%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5964
6964
7964
8955
9955
10955
11955
12955
13955
14955
15955
16955
17955
18955
19955
20964
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Illapel gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.4 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
290
300
310

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3982
4982
5982
6982
7973
8973
9964
10964
11955
12955
13946
14937
15937
16928
17928
18919
199010
208911
218911
228812
238713
248614
258614
268515
278416
288416
298317
308317
318218

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of December to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 8:32 PM to 8:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.96:378:32
213.96:378:33
313.96:378:33
414.06:378:34
514.06:378:35
614.06:378:36
714.06:378:36
814.06:378:37
914.06:378:38
1014.06:388:39
1114.06:388:39
1214.06:388:40
1314.06:388:41
1414.06:398:41
1514.06:398:42
1614.16:398:42
1714.16:408:43
1814.16:408:44
1914.16:408:44
2014.16:418:45
2114.16:418:45
2214.16:428:46
2314.16:428:46
2414.16:438:47
2514.16:438:47
2614.16:448:47
2714.16:448:48
2814.16:458:48
2914.06:458:48
3014.06:468:49
3114.06:478:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 9.1 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.91 kWh/m² to a high of 9.1 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 9.1 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246810151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.9Intense
29.0Intense
39.0Intense
49.0Intense
59.0Intense
69.0Intense
79.0Intense
89.0Intense
99.0Intense
109.1Intense
119.1Intense
129.1Intense
139.1Intense
149.1Intense
159.1Intense
169.1Intense
179.1Intense
189.1Intense
199.1Intense
209.1Intense
219.1Intense
229.1Intense
239.1Intense
249.1Intense
259.1Intense
269.1Intense
279.1Intense
289.1Intense
299.1Intense
309.1Intense
319.1Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Illapel?

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

9.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Illapel for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Illapel in December

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

In December, Illapel sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Illapel in December

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 43 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May15Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Illapel 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 Illapel peaks around January 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 14Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Illapel?

Illapel sits at 31.6°S, 71.2°W, 312 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Los Vilos, 44 km away.

Topography around Illapel

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Illapel has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m around an average of 433 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,467 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,695 m.

The land around Illapel is covered by shrubs (36%) and grassland (33%) within 3 km, shrubs (53%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and shrubs (32%), grassland (25%) and bare terrain (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
501 m
16 km
1,467 m
80 km
4,695 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Los Vilos 44 km · Cabildo 89 km · La Ligua 91 km · Ovalle 115 km · Putaendo 118 km · Hacienda La Calera 128 km · La Calera 128 km · San Felipe 131 km

Chile travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 48% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,995
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 517
Religion
Catholic 57%none 26%Evangelical or Protestant 16%other Christians and traditions related to 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 Illapel (-31.6335°, -71.1697°, elevation 312 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).