Quesada weather in December

In December, Quesada sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 137 mm of rain across 19.1 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-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 12% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Quesada's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Quesada's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
11th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
137 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:52 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
69%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

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 Quesada reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 7°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 on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12417
22417
32417
42417
52417
62417
72417
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212317
222317
232317
242317
252317
262317
272317
282317
292317
302317
312317

Quesada weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°8013.711.56.3
Feb24° / 16°509.511.77.0
Mar25° / 17°4410.511.96.8
Apr26° / 17°8016.412.25.5
May26° / 18°29727.612.53.8
Jun25° / 19°30329.212.63.5
Jul25° / 18°23428.312.53.7
Aug25° / 18°25828.812.33.7
Sep25° / 18°31529.412.13.5
Oct24° / 18°35230.311.83.5
Nov24° / 18°25126.111.54.1
Dec23° / 17°13719.111.45.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 67%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32377
42377
52377
62377
72476
82575
92575
102674
112674
122773
132971
142971
153169
163367
173466
183565
193763
203862
213961
224060
234159
244258
254258
264159
274258
284258
294258
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Quesada gets around 137 mm of rain over 19.1 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 62% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
273
373
472
571
670
769
867
966
1065
1164
1264
1363
1462
1561
1660
1760
1859
1958
2058
2158
2257
2357
2456
2556
2656
2756
2856
2955
3055
3155

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 26% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
115643
215841
315940
416138
516237
626236
726434
826533
926731
1026830
1126929
1227028
1327127
1427226
1527325
1627424
1727523
1827622
1927721
2027820
2127820
2227919
2328018
2428018
2528117
2628117
2728117
2828216
2938116
3038215
3138314

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 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 grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:445:11
211.45:455:11
311.45:455:11
411.45:465:11
511.45:465:12
611.45:475:12
711.45:475:12
811.45:485:13
911.45:485:13
1011.45:495:13
1111.45:495:14
1211.45:505:14
1311.45:505:15
1411.45:515:15
1511.45:515:15
1611.45:525:16
1711.45:525:16
1811.45:535:17
1911.45:535:17
2011.45:545:18
2111.45:545:18
2211.45:555:19
2311.45:555:19
2411.45:565:20
2511.45:565:20
2611.45:575:21
2711.45:575:21
2811.45:585:21
2911.45:585:22
3011.45:585:22
3111.45:595:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
24.0Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Bright
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Quesada?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Quesada for sightseeing.

What to pack for Quesada in December

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

In December, Quesada sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

Sea temperature near Quesada 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 54 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 Quesada in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Quesada peaks around March 19 at about 14 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 19UV 14Dec 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Quesada 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 Quesada is worst in May — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (January, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1623 µg/m³Jan 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Quesada?

Quesada sits at 10.3°N, 84.4°W, 616 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is San_Ramon_, 27 km away.

San_Ramon_La FortunaMonteverdeAlajuelaEsparzaMercedes NorteSan FranciscoHeredia

Topography around Quesada

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Quesada has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 559 m around an average of 669 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,252 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,407 m.

The land around Quesada is covered by trees (47%) and grassland (38%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and grassland (39%) within 16 km, and trees (67%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
559 m
16 km
2,252 m
80 km
3,407 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: San_Ramon_ 27 km · La Fortuna 28 km · Monteverde 41 km · Alajuela 42 km · Esparza 45 km · Mercedes Norte 49 km · San Francisco 50 km · Heredia 50 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 Quesada (10.3266°, -84.432°, elevation 616 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).