Zacapa weather in December

In December, Zacapa sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 43 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Zacapa's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zacapa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
11th warmest
Overnight low
17°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:21 AM – 5:28 PM
Cloud cover
64%
5th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Zacapa reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12517
22517
32517
42517
52517
62517
72517
82517
92517
102517
112517
122517
132517
142517
152517
162517
172517
182517
192517
202517
212517
222417
232417
242417
252417
262417
272417
282417
292417
302417
312417

How December really feels in Zacapa

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.

Zacapa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 17°3610.111.26.9
Feb26° / 17°267.911.56.9
Mar29° / 18°297.711.96.2
Apr31° / 20°469.912.34.5
May31° / 21°14820.112.73.4
Jun30° / 21°26427.612.92.9
Jul28° / 20°19128.312.83.4
Aug29° / 20°20227.612.53.3
Sep29° / 20°25028.112.13.1
Oct27° / 20°17123.111.74.3
Nov25° / 18°7513.811.35.9
Dec25° / 17°4310.711.16.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43664
53664
63763
73763
83763
93862
103862
113862
123961
134060
144060
154060
164159
174159
184159
194159
204159
214159
224159
234258
244258
254258
264258
274357
284258
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Zacapa gets around 43 mm of rain over 10.7 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 35% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 44% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 45% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11738531
21739530
31739530
41740520
51740520
61741510
71741510
82741491
92741491
102842481
112842481
122842471
132942471
142942461
152942451
1621043441
1721043441
1821044431
1921144421
2021145411
2121146401
2221147401
2321147390
2421148390
2521148390
2621149380
2721149380
2821150380
2921150370
3021151360
3121152350

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.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 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 6:13 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 5:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:135:23
211.26:135:23
311.26:145:24
411.26:145:24
511.26:155:24
611.16:155:24
711.16:165:25
811.16:165:25
911.16:175:25
1011.16:185:26
1111.16:185:26
1211.16:195:26
1311.16:195:27
1411.16:205:27
1511.16:205:27
1611.16:215:28
1711.16:215:28
1811.16:225:29
1911.16:225:29
2011.16:235:30
2111.16:235:30
2211.16:245:30
2311.16:245:31
2411.16:255:31
2511.16:255:32
2611.16:265:32
2711.16:265:33
2811.16:265:33
2911.16:275:34
3011.16:275:34
3111.16:285:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.67 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.67 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.7Moderate
163.7Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.7Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Zacapa

In seasonPeak

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

Zacapa's monsoon runs May–October, 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 Zacapa?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Zacapa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Zacapa in December

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

In December, Zacapa sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Zacapa 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 Zacapa peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highApr 12UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Zacapa 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 Zacapa is worst in April — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.0× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodApr 2141 µg/m³Dec 2010 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr42Poor
May37Poor
Jun22Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Zacapa?

Zacapa sits at 15.0°N, 89.5°W, 232 m above sea level, in Guatemala. The nearest listed city is Chiquimula, 19 km away.

San Luis JilotepequeCopán RuinasEsquipulasPanzosGuastatoyaJalapa

Topography around Zacapa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zacapa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 321 m around an average of 242 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,552 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,990 m.

The land around Zacapa is covered by grassland (31%), shrubs (24%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (40%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) within 80 km.

3 km
321 m
16 km
1,552 m
80 km
2,990 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Chiquimula 19 km · Gualán 25 km · San Luis Jilotepeque 42 km · Copán Ruinas 42 km · Esquipulas 49 km · Panzos 49 km · Guastatoya 60 km · Jalapa 62 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 Zacapa (14.9687°, -89.5273°, elevation 232 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).