Tamarindo weather in December

In December, Tamarindo sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 14 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Tamarindo's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tamarindo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
6th warmest
Overnight low
24°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:57 AM – 5:22 PM
Cloud cover
41%
4th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month.

A typical December day in Tamarindo reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13024
23024
33024
43024
53024
63024
73024
83024
93124
103124
113124
123124
133124
143124
153124
163124
173124
183124
193124
203124
213124
223124
233124
243124
253124
263124
273124
283224
293224
303224
313224

How December really feels in Tamarindo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Tamarindo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 24°20.511.55.3
Feb33° / 24°30.511.74.8
Mar33° / 24°51.411.94.2
Apr34° / 25°408.412.23.3
May32° / 25°24322.912.52.8
Jun30° / 25°29826.512.62.8
Jul30° / 24°20622.812.53.2
Aug30° / 24°28425.812.33.0
Sep30° / 24°34028.912.12.7
Oct29° / 24°37127.711.83.1
Nov30° / 24°13014.511.54.5
Dec31° / 24°142.611.45.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26139
36238
46337
56436
66535
76535
86634
96733
106733
116832
126832
136832
146931
157129
167129
177228
187426
197525
207723
217723
227921
237921
248119
258119
268218
278317
288416
298416
308416
318416

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Tamarindo gets around 14 mm of rain over 2.6 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 10% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
219
317
416
515
614
713
812
911
1011
1110
1210
1310
149
159
169
179
189
198
208
217
227
237
246
256
265
275
285
294
304
314

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1121771
2123751
3125731
4126721
5128710
6130690
7132670
8234640
9236620
10238600
11240580
12242560
13244540
14246520
15248500
16250480
17252460
18352450
19354430
20356410
21358390
22360370
23460360
24462340
25464320
26465310
27566290
28567280
29569260
30670240
31671230

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

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 5:50 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:505:16
211.45:505:17
311.45:515:17
411.45:515:17
511.45:525:17
611.45:525:18
711.45:535:18
811.45:535:18
911.45:545:19
1011.45:545:19
1111.45:555:20
1211.45:555:20
1311.45:565:20
1411.45:565:21
1511.45:575:21
1611.45:575:22
1711.45:585:22
1811.45:585:22
1911.45:595:23
2011.45:595:23
2111.46:005:24
2211.46:005:24
2311.46:015:25
2411.46:015:25
2511.46:025:26
2611.46:025:26
2711.46:035:27
2811.46:035:27
2911.46:045:28
3011.46:045:28
3111.46:045:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.77 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Tamarindo

In seasonPeak

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

Tamarindo's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Tamarindo?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Tamarindo for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Tamarindo in December

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

In December, Tamarindo sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Tamarindo 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 offshore is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in February 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
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Tamarindo 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 Tamarindo peaks around March 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 19UV 13Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Tamarindo 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 Tamarindo is worst in July — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Dec 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr19Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tamarindo?

Tamarindo sits at 10.3°N, 85.8°W, 0 m above sea level, in Costa Rica. The nearest listed city is Nicoya, 46 km away.

NicoyaLiberiaCañasSan JoséSan Juan del SurMonteverdePuntarenasChacarita

Topography around Tamarindo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tamarindo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 m around an average of 19 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 491 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,872 m.

The land around Tamarindo is covered by water (43%) and trees (41%) within 3 km, water (53%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
154 m
16 km
491 m
80 km
1,872 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Nicoya 46 km · Liberia 58 km · Cañas 83 km · San José 106 km · San Juan del Sur 106 km · Monteverde 113 km · Puntarenas 116 km · Chacarita 121 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 Tamarindo (10.2991°, -85.8411°, elevation 0 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).