Ovalle weather in December

In December, Ovalle sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 91% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ovalle's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ovalle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
6:42 AM – 8:40 PM
Cloud cover
11%
2nd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
9.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.2
out of 10

Ovalle is city in the Coquimbo Region, Chile.

Density
20/km²
people per km²
Founded
1831

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ovalle reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 28°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)
12513
22513
32513
42513
52513
62613
72613
82613
92613
102613
112613
122613
132613
142613
152613
162613
172613
182614
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242614
252714
262714
272714
282714
292714
302714
312714

Ovalle weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 15°00.113.89.0
Feb27° / 15°10.113.19.1
Mar25° / 13°50.612.29.3
Apr23° / 11°5111.38.9
May20° / 292.910.57.6
Jun17° / 473.310.16.7
Jul17° / 232.710.26.6
Aug18° / 262.510.97.4
Sep20° / 81.511.88.0
Oct22° / 10°6112.88.8
Nov24° / 12°10.313.59.4
Dec26° / 13°00.113.99.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 91% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 4%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1973
2973
3964
4964
5964
6964
7964
8964
9964
10964
11964
12964
13964
14964
15964
16964
17964
18964
19964
20964
21964
22964
23964
24964
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ovalle gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21973
22973
23973
24973
25964
26964
27964
28955
29955
30946
31946

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

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 48 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 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 8:30 PM to 8:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.86:398:30
213.86:398:30
313.96:398:31
413.96:398:32
513.96:408:33
613.96:408:33
713.96:408:34
813.96:408:35
913.96:408:36
1013.96:408:36
1113.96:408:37
1213.96:418:38
1314.06:418:38
1414.06:418:39
1514.06:428:39
1614.06:428:40
1714.06:428:41
1814.06:438:41
1914.06:438:42
2014.06:438:42
2114.06:448:43
2214.06:448:43
2314.06:458:44
2414.06:458:44
2514.06:468:45
2614.06:468:45
2714.06:478:45
2814.06:488:46
2914.06:488:46
3014.06:498:46
3114.06:498:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 9.02 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 9.02 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 9.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246810151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.9Intense
28.9Intense
38.9Intense
48.9Intense
58.9Intense
68.9Intense
79.0Intense
89.0Intense
99.0Intense
109.0Intense
119.0Intense
129.0Intense
139.0Intense
149.0Intense
159.0Intense
169.0Intense
179.0Intense
189.0Intense
199.0Intense
209.0Intense
219.0Intense
229.0Intense
239.0Intense
249.0Intense
259.0Intense
269.0Intense
279.0Intense
289.0Intense
299.0Intense
309.0Intense
319.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ovalle?

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

9.2
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ovalle in December

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

In December, Ovalle sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Ovalle 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 51 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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May15Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Ovalle 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 Ovalle peaks around January 19 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 19UV 14Jun 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Ovalle?

Ovalle sits at 30.6°S, 71.2°W, 218 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Coquimbo, 73 km away.

Topography around Ovalle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ovalle has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 m around an average of 260 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,127 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,630 m.

The land around Ovalle is covered by artificial surfaces (28%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, grassland (35%), bare terrain (25%) and shrubs (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (32%), bare terrain (23%) and shrubs (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
315 m
16 km
1,127 m
80 km
4,630 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Coquimbo 73 km · La Serena 77 km · Vicuña 78 km · Illapel 115 km · Los Vilos 149 km · Cabildo 204 km · La Ligua 206 km · Vallenar 229 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 Ovalle (-30.6011°, -71.199°, elevation 218 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).