Poptún weather in December

In December, Poptún sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 94 mm of rain across 17.1 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-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 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Poptún's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Poptún's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
11th warmest
Overnight low
19°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
17.1 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:23 AM – 5:25 PM
Cloud cover
60%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

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 Poptún reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12619
22619
32619
42619
52619
62619
72619
82619
92619
102619
112619
122619
132619
142619
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

How December really feels in Poptún

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.

Poptún weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°7114.511.16.1
Feb28° / 19°449.811.56.3
Mar30° / 20°549.311.95.4
Apr32° / 21°628.912.44.1
May32° / 22°1331712.83.2
Jun31° / 23°18323.5132.9
Jul31° / 22°13424.212.93.1
Aug31° / 22°16224.612.52.9
Sep31° / 22°21826.712.12.7
Oct29° / 21°23124.111.63.7
Nov27° / 20°1451911.25.0
Dec26° / 19°9417.1115.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34456
44654
54654
64753
74852
84951
94951
105050
115149
125248
135248
145248
155248
165347
175347
185347
195347
205248
215248
225248
235149
245149
255050
264951
274951
284951
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Poptún gets around 94 mm of rain over 17.1 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 55% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
360
460
560
660
760
859
959
1058
1158
1257
1356
1455
1554
1654
1753
1852
1952
2051
2151
2251
2351
2451
2551
2652
2752
2853
2953
3053
3153

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 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 80% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
102145331
202145430
303145429
403135628
503135628
603135727
703125926
804125826
904125826
1004135825
1104135825
1204135924
1304145824
1405145823
1505155723
1605155822
1705165722
1805165821
1905175721
2015175720
2115185719
2215185719
2315185818
2415185818
2515185917
2605186017
2705186017
2805176216
2915176116
3015176215
3115176215

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:155:20
211.16:155:21
311.16:165:21
411.16:165:21
511.16:175:21
611.16:175:21
711.16:185:22
811.16:185:22
911.16:195:22
1011.16:205:23
1111.06:205:23
1211.06:215:23
1311.06:215:24
1411.06:225:24
1511.06:225:24
1611.06:235:25
1711.06:235:25
1811.06:245:26
1911.06:245:26
2011.06:255:27
2111.06:255:27
2211.06:265:27
2311.06:265:28
2411.06:275:28
2511.06:275:29
2611.06:285:29
2711.06:285:30
2811.06:285:30
2911.06:295:31
3011.06:295:31
3111.06:305:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.48 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.48 kWh/m² to a high of 5.99 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.48 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.5Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.5Moderate
293.5Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Poptún?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Poptún for sightseeing.

What to pack for Poptún in December

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

In December, Poptún sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 19°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Poptún in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Poptún peaks around April 9 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 9UV 13Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Poptún 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 Poptún is worst in April — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 6.2× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 2231 µg/m³Dec 175 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar10Good
Apr32Moderate
May29Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Poptún?

Poptún sits at 16.3°N, 89.4°W, 533 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Punta Gorda, 70 km away.

Punta GordaFloresSan BenitoSayaxchéMelchor de MencosEl EstorLívingstonSan Ignacio

Topography around Poptún

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Poptún has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 515 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 515 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,158 m.

The land around Poptún is covered by trees (47%) and grassland (36%) within 3 km, trees (62%) and grassland (37%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
515 m
80 km
1,158 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Punta Gorda 70 km · Flores 83 km · San Benito 84 km · Sayaxché 85 km · Melchor de Mencos 86 km · El Estor 89 km · Lívingston 91 km · San Ignacio 99 km

Guatemala travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 43% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
23.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
22.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 510
Religion
Evangelical 46%Roman Catholic 42%none 11%

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 Poptún (16.3311°, -89.4169°, elevation 533 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).