Riobamba weather in December

In December, Riobamba sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 137 mm of precipitation across 23.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Riobamba's 7th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riobamba's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 14°; 6th warmest
Overnight low: 4°; 8th coldest
Precipitation: 137 mm; 23.3 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 06 min; 6:08 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover: 81%; 7th clearest
Wind: 5 km/h; 10th windiest
Solar energy: 5.46 kWh/m²
Travel score: 2.8; out of 10

Riobamba is city in Ecuador, capital of the Chimborazo Province.

Density: 6,573/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1534

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Riobamba year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month.

A typical December day in Riobamba reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14
Avg low (°C)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	14	4
2	14	4
3	14	4
4	14	4
5	14	4
6	14	4
7	14	4
8	14	4
9	14	4
10	14	4
11	14	4
12	14	4
13	14	4
14	14	4
15	14	4
16	14	4
17	14	4
18	14	4
19	14	4
20	14	4
21	14	4
22	14	4
23	14	4
24	14	4
25	14	4
26	14	4
27	14	4
28	14	4
29	14	4
30	14	4
31	14	4

How December really feels in Riobamba

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

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.

Riobamba weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	14° / 4°	134	21.7	12.1	2.9
Feb	14° / 5°	157	22.7	12.1	2.6
Mar	14° / 5°	205	27.6	12	2.3
Apr	14° / 5°	177	26.4	12	2.4
May	14° / 4°	115	22.2	11.9	2.8
Jun	13° / 3°	74	16.9	11.9	3.1
Jul	13° / 3°	49	12.4	11.9	3.5
Aug	14° / 3°	29	8.1	11.9	4.2
Sep	15° / 3°	49	12.2	12	4.1
Oct	14° / 4°	114	21.9	12	3.0
Nov	14° / 4°	142	23.5	12.1	2.6
Dec	14° / 4°	137	23.3	12.1	2.8

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 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	10	11	11	11	12	12	12	13	13	13	14
Cloudier (%)	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	91	92	92	92	92	91	91	91	91	91	91	90	89	89	89	88	88	88	87	87	87	86

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	9	91
2	9	91
3	9	91
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	9	91
8	9	91
9	9	91
10	9	91
11	8	92
12	8	92
13	8	92
14	8	92
15	9	91
16	9	91
17	9	91
18	9	91
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	10	90
22	11	89
23	11	89
24	11	89
25	12	88
26	12	88
27	12	88
28	13	87
29	13	87
30	13	87
31	14	86

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Riobamba gets around 137 mm of rain and snow over 23.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 75% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	77	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	76	75	75	75	74	74	73	73	72	71	71	70	70	70

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	76
15	76
16	76
17	76
18	76
19	75
20	75
21	75
22	74
23	74
24	73
25	73
26	72
27	71
28	71
29	70
30	70
31	70

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

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 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	5	calm
2	5	calm
3	5	calm
4	5	calm
5	5	calm
6	5	calm
7	5	calm
8	5	calm
9	5	calm
10	5	calm
11	5	calm
12	5	calm
13	5	calm
14	5	calm
15	5	calm
16	5	calm
17	5	calm
18	5	calm
19	5	calm
20	5	calm
21	5	calm
22	5	calm
23	5	calm
24	5	calm
25	5	calm
26	5	calm
27	5	calm
28	5	calm
29	5	calm
30	5	calm
31	5	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 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 6:02 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:21 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.1
Sunrise (AM)	6:02	6:02	6:02	6:03	6:03	6:04	6:04	6:04	6:05	6:05	6:06	6:06	6:07	6:07	6:07	6:08	6:08	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:14	6:15
Sunset (PM)	6:07	6:07	6:08	6:08	6:09	6:09	6:10	6:10	6:10	6:11	6:11	6:12	6:12	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:15	6:15	6:16	6:16	6:16	6:17	6:17	6:18	6:18	6:19	6:19	6:20	6:20	6:21

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.1	6:02	6:07
2	12.1	6:02	6:07
3	12.1	6:02	6:08
4	12.1	6:03	6:08
5	12.1	6:03	6:09
6	12.1	6:04	6:09
7	12.1	6:04	6:10
8	12.1	6:04	6:10
9	12.1	6:05	6:10
10	12.1	6:05	6:11
11	12.1	6:06	6:11
12	12.1	6:06	6:12
13	12.1	6:07	6:12
14	12.1	6:07	6:13
15	12.1	6:07	6:13
16	12.1	6:08	6:14
17	12.1	6:08	6:14
18	12.1	6:09	6:15
19	12.1	6:09	6:15
20	12.1	6:10	6:16
21	12.1	6:10	6:16
22	12.1	6:11	6:16
23	12.1	6:11	6:17
24	12.1	6:12	6:17
25	12.1	6:12	6:18
26	12.1	6:13	6:18
27	12.1	6:13	6:19
28	12.1	6:14	6:19
29	12.1	6:14	6:20
30	12.1	6:14	6:20
31	12.1	6:15	6:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.5	Bright
2	5.5	Bright
3	5.5	Bright
4	5.5	Bright
5	5.5	Bright
6	5.5	Bright
7	5.5	Bright
8	5.5	Bright
9	5.5	Bright
10	5.5	Bright
11	5.5	Bright
12	5.4	Bright
13	5.4	Bright
14	5.4	Bright
15	5.4	Bright
16	5.4	Bright
17	5.4	Bright
18	5.4	Bright
19	5.4	Bright
20	5.4	Bright
21	5.4	Bright
22	5.4	Bright
23	5.5	Bright
24	5.5	Bright
25	5.5	Bright
26	5.5	Bright
27	5.5	Bright
28	5.5	Bright
29	5.5	Bright
30	5.5	Bright
31	5.5	Bright

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Riobamba?

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

2.8

Sightseeing

7th-best month of the year

—

Beach & pool

never really warm enough

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Riobamba.

What to pack for Riobamba in December

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

In December, Riobamba sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 4°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Riobamba in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Riobamba peaks around February 19 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 15 at about 13 (extreme).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	18	19	19	16	15	13	13	14	15	16	14	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	18	Extreme
Feb	19	Extreme
Mar	19	Extreme
Apr	16	Extreme
May	15	Extreme
Jun	13	Extreme
Jul	13	Extreme
Aug	14	Extreme
Sep	15	Extreme
Oct	16	Extreme
Nov	14	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Air quality in Riobamba 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 Riobamba is worst in September — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	19	21	21	19	16	13	13	17	21	20	21	18
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	19	Moderate
Feb	21	Moderate
Mar	21	Moderate
Apr	19	Moderate
May	16	Moderate
Jun	13	Moderate
Jul	13	Moderate
Aug	17	Moderate
Sep	21	Moderate
Oct	20	Moderate
Nov	21	Moderate
Dec	18	Moderate

Location & terrain

Where is Riobamba?

Riobamba sits at 1.7°S, 78.7°W, 2,777 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Guamote, 31 km away.

Topography around Riobamba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Riobamba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 2,786 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,033 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,236 m.

The land around Riobamba is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, cropland (56%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km

288 m

artificial surfaces 62%

16 km

2,033 m

cropland 56%

80 km

6,236 m

trees 48%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain

← November Riobamba year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Guamote 31 km · Guaranda 39 km · Pelileo 39 km · Banos 40 km · Ambato 46 km · Montalvo 71 km · Puyo 75 km · Pujilí 79 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

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 Riobamba (-1.6651°, -78.6589°, elevation 2,777 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. 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	14	4
2	14	4
3	14	4
4	14	4
5	14	4
6	14	4
7	14	4
8	14	4
9	14	4
10	14	4
11	14	4
12	14	4
13	14	4
14	14	4
15	14	4
16	14	4
17	14	4
18	14	4
19	14	4
20	14	4
21	14	4
22	14	4
23	14	4
24	14	4
25	14	4
26	14	4
27	14	4
28	14	4
29	14	4
30	14	4
31	14	4

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	9	91
2	9	91
3	9	91
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	9	91
8	9	91
9	9	91
10	9	91
11	8	92
12	8	92
13	8	92
14	8	92
15	9	91
16	9	91
17	9	91
18	9	91
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	10	90
22	11	89
23	11	89
24	11	89
25	12	88
26	12	88
27	12	88
28	13	87
29	13	87
30	13	87
31	14	86

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	76
15	76
16	76
17	76
18	76
19	75
20	75
21	75
22	74
23	74
24	73
25	73
26	72
27	71
28	71
29	70
30	70
31	70

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	14	4
2	14	4
3	14	4
4	14	4
5	14	4
6	14	4
7	14	4
8	14	4
9	14	4
10	14	4
11	14	4
12	14	4
13	14	4
14	14	4
15	14	4
16	14	4
17	14	4
18	14	4
19	14	4
20	14	4
21	14	4
22	14	4
23	14	4
24	14	4
25	14	4
26	14	4
27	14	4
28	14	4
29	14	4
30	14	4
31	14	4

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	9	91
2	9	91
3	9	91
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	9	91
8	9	91
9	9	91
10	9	91
11	8	92
12	8	92
13	8	92
14	8	92
15	9	91
16	9	91
17	9	91
18	9	91
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	10	90
22	11	89
23	11	89
24	11	89
25	12	88
26	12	88
27	12	88
28	13	87
29	13	87
30	13	87
31	14	86

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	76
15	76
16	76
17	76
18	76
19	75
20	75
21	75
22	74
23	74
24	73
25	73
26	72
27	71
28	71
29	70
30	70
31	70

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	14	4
2	14	4
3	14	4
4	14	4
5	14	4
6	14	4
7	14	4
8	14	4
9	14	4
10	14	4
11	14	4
12	14	4
13	14	4
14	14	4
15	14	4
16	14	4
17	14	4
18	14	4
19	14	4
20	14	4
21	14	4
22	14	4
23	14	4
24	14	4
25	14	4
26	14	4
27	14	4
28	14	4
29	14	4
30	14	4
31	14	4

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	9	91
2	9	91
3	9	91
4	9	91
5	9	91
6	9	91
7	9	91
8	9	91
9	9	91
10	9	91
11	8	92
12	8	92
13	8	92
14	8	92
15	9	91
16	9	91
17	9	91
18	9	91
19	9	91
20	9	91
21	10	90
22	11	89
23	11	89
24	11	89
25	12	88
26	12	88
27	12	88
28	13	87
29	13	87
30	13	87
31	14	86

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	76
3	76
4	76
5	76
6	76
7	76
8	76
9	76
10	76
11	76
12	76
13	76
14	76
15	76
16	76
17	76
18	76
19	75
20	75
21	75
22	74
23	74
24	73
25	73
26	72
27	71
28	71
29	70
30	70
31	70

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100