Machala weather in December

In December, Machala sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 123 mm of rain across 21.1 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of December to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Machala's 8th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Machala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
22°
7th coldest
Rainfall
123 mm
21.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:10 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
83%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Machala is city in Ecuador, capital of the El Oro Province.

Density
4,825/km²
people per km²
Founded
1573

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Machala reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 3°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.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12522
22522
32522
42522
52522
62522
72522
82522
92522
102522
112522
122522
132522
142622
152622
162622
172623
182623
192623
202623
212623
222623
232623
242623
252623
262623
272623
282623
292623
302623
312623

Machala weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 23°20024.712.24.2
Feb27° / 24°27723.512.13.9
Mar27° / 24°35024.7124.0
Apr27° / 24°21122.911.94.2
May26° / 23°15422.511.94.5
Jun25° / 22°7017.111.85.4
Jul24° / 21°4111.711.86.4
Aug24° / 21°288.711.96.8
Sep24° / 21°379.9126.5
Oct24° / 21°5516.912.15.5
Nov24° / 21°721712.15.4
Dec26° / 22°12321.112.24.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 6% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1298
2298
3298
4397
5397
6397
7397
8496
9496
10496
11496
12595
13694
14694
15793
16793
17892
18892
19892
20991
21991
22991
23991
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Machala gets around 123 mm of rain over 21.1 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 68% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
261
361
461
562
662
763
863
964
1065
1165
1266
1367
1467
1568
1669
1769
1870
1970
2071
2171
2272
2372
2472
2573
2673
2773
2873
2974
3074
3175

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 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
159410
257430
355450
453470
551490
649510
747530
844560
942580
1040600
1138620
1236640
1334660
1432680
1530700
1628720
1727730
1825750
1923770
2021790
2120800
2218811
2316831
2415841
2513861
2612871
2711881
2810891
299901
308911
317912

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of December to 12 h 12 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 6:04 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:046:15
212.26:056:15
312.26:056:16
412.26:056:16
512.26:066:17
612.26:066:17
712.26:076:17
812.26:076:18
912.26:076:18
1012.26:086:19
1112.26:086:19
1212.26:096:20
1312.26:096:20
1412.26:096:21
1512.26:106:21
1612.26:106:22
1712.26:116:22
1812.26:116:23
1912.26:126:23
2012.26:126:24
2112.26:136:24
2212.26:136:24
2312.26:146:25
2412.26:146:25
2512.26:156:26
2612.26:156:26
2712.26:166:27
2812.26:166:27
2912.26:166:28
3012.26:176:28
3112.26:176:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Machala

In seasonPeak

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

Machala's monsoon runs January–April, 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 Machala?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Machala for sightseeing.

What to pack for Machala in December

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

In December, Machala sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Machala in December

The nearest coast averages about 25°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 18 km away) is warmest in March at about 27°C and coldest in September near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr26Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul24Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct24Refreshing
Nov24Refreshing
Dec25Warm

UV index in Machala in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Machala peaks around March 10 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 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 highExtremeMar 10UV 15Jul 14UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Machala?

Machala sits at 3.3°S, 80.0°W, 16 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Guabo, 15 km away.

Topography around Machala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Machala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,137 m.

The land around Machala is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (35%), water (34%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
18 m
16 km
97 m
80 km
4,137 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Guabo 15 km · Pasaje 18 km · Santa Rosa 22 km · Arenillas 35 km · Huaquillas 39 km · Zarumilla 44 km · Piñas 56 km · Tumbes 63 km

Ecuador travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 43% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,125
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
70%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
45.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 466
Religion
Roman Catholic 68%Protestant 19%none 8%other 2%

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 Machala (-3.2589°, -79.9588°, elevation 16 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).