Vallenar weather in December

In December, Vallenar sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 93% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Vallenar's 2nd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vallenar's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
6:45 AM – 8:34 PM
Cloud cover
8%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
9.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
9.5
out of 10

Vallenar is city in Chile.

Density
3,560/km²
people per km²
Founded
1789

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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Vallenar reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°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
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82514
92514
102514
112514
122514
132514
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192514
202514
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262615
272615
282615
292615
302615
312615

Vallenar weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°0013.69.2
Feb26° / 15°00139.3
Mar25° / 14°40.212.29.5
Apr23° / 12°20.411.39.3
May21° / 8110.68.3
Jun19° / 131.410.27.9
Jul19° / 91.410.48.0
Aug20° / 90.8118.3
Sep21° / 10.411.88.8
Oct23° / 11°10.212.79.2
Nov24° / 13°0013.49.7
Dec25° / 14°0013.89.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 93% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 4%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1973
2982
3982
4973
5973
6973
7973
8964
9964
10964
11964
12964
13964
14964
15964
16964
17964
18964
19964
20964
21964
22964
23964
24964
25955
26955
27955
28955
29946
30946
31946

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Vallenar gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 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 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14973
15973
16973
17973
18964
19964
20955
21955
22946
23937
24928
25919
26919
279010
288911
298812
308812
318713

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 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 6:42 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 8:23 PM to 8:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.76:428:23
213.76:428:24
313.76:428:25
413.76:428:26
513.76:428:26
613.76:428:27
713.86:438:28
813.86:438:28
913.86:438:29
1013.86:438:30
1113.86:438:30
1213.86:448:31
1313.86:448:32
1413.86:448:32
1513.86:458:33
1613.86:458:34
1713.86:458:34
1813.86:468:35
1913.86:468:35
2013.86:468:36
2113.86:478:36
2213.86:478:37
2313.86:488:37
2413.86:488:38
2513.86:498:38
2613.86:498:38
2713.86:508:39
2813.86:518:39
2913.86:518:39
3013.86:528:40
3113.86:528:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 9.24 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.7 kWh/m² to a high of 9.24 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 9.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246810151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
19.2Intense
29.2Intense
39.2Intense
49.2Intense
59.2Intense
69.2Intense
79.2Intense
89.2Intense
99.2Intense
109.2Intense
119.2Intense
129.2Intense
139.2Intense
149.2Intense
159.2Intense
169.2Intense
179.2Intense
189.2Intense
199.2Intense
209.2Intense
219.2Intense
229.2Intense
239.2Intense
249.2Intense
259.2Intense
269.2Intense
279.2Intense
289.2Intense
299.2Intense
309.2Intense
319.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Vallenar?

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

9.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Vallenar in December

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

In December, Vallenar sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Vallenar 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 60 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 14°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
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun15Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Vallenar 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 Vallenar peaks around January 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 22UV 15Jun 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Vallenar?

Vallenar sits at 28.6°S, 70.8°W, 388 m above sea level, in Chile. The nearest listed city is Copiapó, 141 km away.

ChilecitoIllapel

Topography around Vallenar

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vallenar has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 m around an average of 468 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,150 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,526 m.

The land around Vallenar is covered by bare terrain (55%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, bare terrain (84%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
210 m
16 km
1,150 m
80 km
4,526 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Copiapó 141 km · La Serena 155 km · Vicuña 162 km · Coquimbo 163 km · Caldera 168 km · Ovalle 229 km · Chilecito 324 km · Illapel 342 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 Vallenar (-28.5762°, -70.7594°, elevation 388 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).