Puntarenas weather in December

In December, Puntarenas sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 82 mm of rain across 17.6 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Puntarenas's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Puntarenas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
82 mm
17.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:53 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
47%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Puntarenas is city in Costa Rica.

Density
751/km²
people per km²
Founded
1858

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Puntarenas reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C cooler than January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12823
22823
32823
42823
52823
62823
72823
82823
92823
102823
112823
122823
132823
142823
152823
162823
172823
182823
192823
202823
212823
222823
232923
242923
252923
262923
272923
282923
292923
302923
312923

How December really feels in Puntarenas

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.

Puntarenas weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°24811.55.9
Feb31° / 23°164.511.75.7
Mar31° / 23°309.711.94.9
Apr30° / 24°12222.512.23.7
May28° / 24°41229.912.53.1
Jun28° / 24°41229.712.63.0
Jul28° / 24°36930.512.53.2
Aug28° / 23°41430.712.33.2
Sep28° / 23°40929.812.13.2
Oct27° / 23°47930.611.83.2
Nov28° / 23°28227.211.53.7
Dec28° / 23°8217.611.45.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24951
35050
45248
55347
65446
75644
85743
95842
105842
116040
126139
136238
146436
156535
166733
176832
187030
197129
207327
217426
227525
237723
247822
257822
267921
277921
287921
298020
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Puntarenas gets around 82 mm of rain over 17.6 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 76% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
176
275
374
472
571
670
769
868
967
1066
1164
1263
1361
1460
1558
1657
1755
1854
1952
2051
2149
2248
2347
2446
2545
2644
2743
2842
2942
3041
3140

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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
111782
211881
311980
412079
512178
622276
722375
822474
922573
1022672
1122870
1223068
1323167
1423365
1523563
1623761
1723959
1824157
1924256
2024454
2124652
2224751
2324949
2425048
2535146
2635245
2735344
2845343
2945541
3045640
3155738

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.55:455:13
211.55:465:13
311.55:465:13
411.45:475:14
511.45:475:14
611.45:485:14
711.45:485:15
811.45:495:15
911.45:495:15
1011.45:505:16
1111.45:505:16
1211.45:515:16
1311.45:515:17
1411.45:525:17
1511.45:525:18
1611.45:535:18
1711.45:535:19
1811.45:545:19
1911.45:545:19
2011.45:555:20
2111.45:555:20
2211.45:565:21
2311.45:565:21
2411.45:575:22
2511.45:575:22
2611.45:585:23
2711.45:585:23
2811.45:595:24
2911.45:595:24
3011.45:595:25
3111.46:005:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.47 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Puntarenas

In seasonPeak

None of Puntarenas's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Puntarenas's rainy season runs May–November, 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 Puntarenas?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Puntarenas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Puntarenas in December

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

In December, Puntarenas sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Puntarenas in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 26 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in November near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Puntarenas in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Puntarenas peaks around March 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 12UV 13Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Puntarenas 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 Puntarenas is worst in May — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1617 µg/m³Jan 19 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar11Good
Apr16Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Puntarenas?

Puntarenas sits at 10.0°N, 84.8°W, 1 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Chacarita, 7.0 km away.

MonteverdeSan_Ramon_JacoCañasLa FortunaQuesada

Topography around Puntarenas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Puntarenas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 413 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,692 m.

The land around Puntarenas is covered by water (74%) within 3 km, water (53%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and trees (49%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
413 m
80 km
2,692 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Chacarita 7.0 km · Esparza 19 km · Monteverde 37 km · San_Ramon_ 42 km · Jaco 46 km · Cañas 58 km · La Fortuna 59 km · Quesada 59 km

Costa Rica travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 59% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$19,970
2025
Happiness
7.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
81%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
17.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 516
Religion
Roman Catholic 48%none 27%Evangelical and Pentecostal 20%other 3%

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 Puntarenas (9.9769°, -84.8379°, elevation 1 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. 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).