Copán Ruinas weather in December

In December, Copán Ruinas sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 56 mm of rain across 15.7 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 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Copán Ruinas's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Copán Ruinas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
11th warmest
Overnight low
16°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
56 mm
15.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:19 AM – 5:27 PM
Cloud cover
67%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Copán Ruinas is human settlement in Honduras.

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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Copán Ruinas reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°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)
12316
22316
32316
42316
52316
62316
72316
82316
92316
102316
112316
122316
132316
142316
152316
162316
172316
182316
192316
202316
212316
222316
232316
242316
252315
262315
272315
282315
292315
302315
312315

Copán Ruinas 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
Jan23° / 15°5915.411.25.9
Feb24° / 16°3810.911.56.7
Mar26° / 16°359.911.96.8
Apr28° / 18°4910.712.35.8
May29° / 19°1702012.74.3
Jun28° / 19°28826.112.93.7
Jul26° / 19°20726.112.84.1
Aug27° / 19°22726.112.54.0
Sep27° / 19°31027.312.13.7
Oct26° / 18°2002411.74.4
Nov24° / 17°9317.111.35.5
Dec23° / 16°5615.711.15.8

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 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42971
53169
63070
73070
83169
93169
103268
113367
123466
133466
143466
153466
163466
173466
183565
193565
203466
213367
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273565
283466
293466
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Copán Ruinas gets around 56 mm of rain over 15.7 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 51% and peaks near 53% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
252
353
453
553
653
753
853
953
1053
1153
1253
1352
1452
1552
1651
1751
1851
1950
2050
2149
2249
2349
2449
2549
2649
2749
2849
2950
3050
3150

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 60% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 17% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13175426
23165625
33165724
43165823
53156022
63156121
73156121
84156120
94156120
104156219
114156219
124166119
134166218
144176118
154186117
164196017
174196116
184206115
194216015
204226014
214226014
224226014
234226113
244226113
254226113
263226312
273226312
283226312
293226411
304226311
314236211

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:11 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:22 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:115:22
211.26:115:22
311.26:125:22
411.26:135:23
511.26:135:23
611.26:145:23
711.26:145:23
811.16:155:24
911.16:155:24
1011.16:165:24
1111.16:165:25
1211.16:175:25
1311.16:175:25
1411.16:185:26
1511.16:185:26
1611.16:195:27
1711.16:205:27
1811.16:205:27
1911.16:215:28
2011.16:215:28
2111.16:225:29
2211.16:225:29
2311.16:225:30
2411.16:235:30
2511.16:235:31
2611.16:245:31
2711.16:245:32
2811.16:255:32
2911.16:255:33
3011.16:255:33
3111.16:265:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.98 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Moderate
204.0Moderate
214.0Moderate
224.0Moderate
234.0Moderate
244.0Bright
254.0Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Bright
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Copán Ruinas

In seasonPeak

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

Copán Ruinas's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Copán Ruinas?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Copán Ruinas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Copán Ruinas in December

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

In December, Copán Ruinas sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothes

UV index in Copán Ruinas 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 Copán Ruinas peaks around April 11 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 11UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Copán Ruinas 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 Copán Ruinas 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 Copán Ruinas?

Copán Ruinas sits at 14.8°N, 89.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Honduras. The nearest listed city is Esquipulas, 37 km away.

GualánSan Pedro de CopánSanta Rosa de CopánChiquimulaZacapaCorquín

Topography around Copán Ruinas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Copán Ruinas has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 550 m around an average of 710 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,064 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,990 m.

The land around Copán Ruinas is covered by trees (67%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
550 m
16 km
1,064 m
80 km
2,990 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Esquipulas 37 km · Cucuyagua 37 km · Gualán 38 km · San Pedro de Copán 40 km · Santa Rosa de Copán 42 km · Chiquimula 42 km · Zacapa 42 km · Corquín 43 km

Honduras travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 46% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,598
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
66%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
31.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
16.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 553
Religion
Evangelical 55%Roman Catholic 33%none 10%

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 Copán Ruinas (14.8394°, -89.1558°, elevation 0 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).