San Rafael Oriente weather in December

In December, San Rafael Oriente sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1.3 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is San Rafael Oriente's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Rafael Oriente's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
7th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:13 AM – 5:26 PM
Cloud cover
26%
3rd clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical December day in San Rafael Oriente reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13221
23221
33221
43221
53221
63221
73321
83321
93321
103321
113321
123321
133321
143321
153321
163321
173321
183321
193321
203321
213321
223321
233321
243321
253321
263321
273321
283321
293321
303321
313321

How December really feels in San Rafael Oriente

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.

San Rafael Oriente weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°10.411.34.1
Feb35° / 22°10.311.63.3
Mar36° / 23°92.111.92.8
Apr35° / 24°449.212.32.4
May33° / 24°25822.812.62.3
Jun32° / 23°29123.612.82.6
Jul33° / 23°19518.912.72.8
Aug33° / 23°27122.512.42.6
Sep31° / 23°34326.712.12.6
Oct31° / 22°3042411.73.1
Nov31° / 21°618.811.44.5
Dec33° / 21°61.311.24.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27921
38119
48119
58317
68317
78515
88515
98614
108614
118614
128812
138812
148911
158911
168911
178911
189010
199010
209010
219010
229010
23919
24919
259010
269010
279010
289010
299010
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San Rafael Oriente gets around 6 mm of rain over 1.3 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 5% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
211
39
48
58
67
76
85
95
105
114
124
134
144
154
164
174
184
194
204
214
224
234
244
254
264
274
284
293
303
313

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 48% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
107234327
207244425
307254523
417264521
517274519
618294518
718304517
818314515
918324415
1029334314
1129344313
1229354212
1329364112
14210374011
15210393910
16210403810
1721141379
1821143368
1921144358
2021245347
2121247336
2221348326
2311349315
2411450305
2511452294
2611453284
2721552283
2821553273
2921654262
3021655252
3131753252

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 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 6:05 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 5:21 PM to 5:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:055:21
211.36:065:21
311.36:065:22
411.36:075:22
511.26:075:22
611.26:085:22
711.26:085:23
811.26:095:23
911.26:095:23
1011.26:105:24
1111.26:105:24
1211.26:115:24
1311.26:125:25
1411.26:125:25
1511.26:135:26
1611.26:135:26
1711.26:145:26
1811.26:145:27
1911.26:155:27
2011.26:155:28
2111.26:165:28
2211.26:165:29
2311.26:175:29
2411.26:175:30
2511.26:175:30
2611.26:185:31
2711.26:185:31
2811.26:195:32
2911.26:195:32
3011.26:205:33
3111.26:205:33

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.47 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.47 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for San Rafael Oriente

In seasonPeak

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

San Rafael Oriente sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit San Rafael Oriente?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for San Rafael Oriente in December

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

In December, San Rafael Oriente sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near San Rafael Oriente 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 29 km away) is warmest in August at about 30°C and coldest in January near 28°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in San Rafael Oriente 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 San Rafael Oriente peaks around March 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 20UV 13Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in San Rafael Oriente 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 San Rafael Oriente is worst in April — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (January, 13 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateApr 2234 µg/m³Jan 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May32Moderate
Jun21Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Rafael Oriente?

San Rafael Oriente sits at 13.4°N, 88.3°W, 212 m above sea level, in El Salvador. The nearest listed city is Usulután, 11 km away.

Santiago de MaríaSan MiguelPuerto El TriunfoSan Francisco GoteraLa UniónSan VicenteZacatecoluca

Topography around San Rafael Oriente

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Rafael Oriente has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 m around an average of 212 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,103 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,143 m.

The land around San Rafael Oriente is covered by trees (43%) and grassland (39%) within 3 km, trees (60%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and trees (41%), water (32%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
220 m
16 km
2,103 m
80 km
2,143 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Usulután 11 km · Santiago de María 17 km · San Miguel 21 km · Puerto El Triunfo 24 km · San Francisco Gotera 44 km · La Unión 55 km · San Vicente 55 km · Zacatecoluca 58 km

El Salvador travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
115 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,767
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
7.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
20.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 523
Religion
Roman Catholic 44%Protestant 40%none 16%

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 San Rafael Oriente (13.3833°, -88.35°, elevation 212 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).