Río Grande weather in December

In December, Río Grande sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 63 mm of rain across 11.9 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Río Grande's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Río Grande's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
22°
4th coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
11.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
7:15 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
41%
4th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Río Grande is human settlement in the Dominican Republic.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Río Grande reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12822
22822
32822
42822
52822
62822
72822
82822
92722
102722
112722
122722
132722
142722
152722
162722
172722
182722
192722
202722
212722
222722
232722
242722
252722
262722
272722
282722
292722
302722
312721

How December really feels in Río Grande

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.

Río Grande weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 21°6111.110.96.8
Feb27° / 21°448.811.37.0
Mar28° / 21°6210.511.96.7
Apr28° / 22°6212.212.45.9
May29° / 23°8415.912.94.7
Jun30° / 24°421013.24.7
Jul31° / 25°359.713.14.9
Aug31° / 25°4610.712.74.6
Sep31° / 25°7615.612.14.0
Oct30° / 24°831611.54.4
Nov28° / 23°8715.511.15.3
Dec27° / 22°6311.910.86.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37624
47624
57723
67723
77723
87723
97723
107723
117723
127723
137723
147723
157723
167723
177723
187723
197723
207723
217723
227723
237822
247822
257822
267822
277723
287822
297822
307822
317822

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Río Grande gets around 63 mm of rain over 11.9 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 39% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
243
343
442
541
641
740
839
939
1038
1138
1238
1338
1437
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2438
2537
2637
2737
2837
2937
3037
3138

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1034255
2034354
3044353
4044452
5044452
6044551
7054550
8054549
9054649
10064648
11064647
12064747
13064746
14064846
15074845
16074844
17074944
18074943
19175042
20175042
21175141
22175240
23175339
24175339
25175438
26165637
27165736
28165835
29165934
30166033
31166231

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 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 7:06 AM to 7:21 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:066:00
210.97:076:00
310.97:076:00
410.97:086:00
510.97:086:00
610.97:096:01
710.97:106:01
810.97:106:01
910.87:116:01
1010.87:116:02
1110.87:126:02
1210.87:126:02
1310.87:136:03
1410.87:146:03
1510.87:146:03
1610.87:156:04
1710.87:156:04
1810.87:166:05
1910.87:166:05
2010.87:176:05
2110.87:176:06
2210.87:186:06
2310.87:186:07
2410.87:196:07
2510.87:196:08
2610.87:196:08
2710.87:206:09
2810.87:206:09
2910.87:216:10
3010.87:216:10
3110.87:216:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.15 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.9 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 4.15 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Río Grande

In seasonPeak

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

Río Grande sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Is December a good time to visit Río Grande?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Río Grande in December

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

In December, Río Grande sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Río Grande in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr26Warm
May27Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Río Grande in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Río Grande peaks around March 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighMar 22UV 12Dec 15UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Río Grande 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 Río Grande is worst in June — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (February, 16 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 2030 µg/m³Feb 2016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Río Grande?

Río Grande sits at 19.7°N, 70.8°W, 397 m above sea level, in Dominican Republic. The nearest listed city is Villa Bisonó, 16 km away.

EsperanzaSantiago de los CaballerosTamborilSosuaMao

Topography around Río Grande

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Río Grande has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 453 m around an average of 344 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,235 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,073 m.

The land around Río Grande is covered by trees (88%) within 3 km, trees (78%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
453 m
16 km
1,235 m
80 km
3,073 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Villa Bisonó 16 km · Puerto Plata 16 km · Monte Llano 19 km · Esperanza 25 km · Santiago de los Caballeros 25 km · Tamboril 26 km · Sosua 28 km · Mao 35 km

Dominican Republic travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 39% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$11,059
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
45%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
10.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
64.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 503

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 Río Grande (19.6667°, -70.7667°, elevation 397 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).