Chapala weather in December

In December, Chapala sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chapala's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chapala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
7:26 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Chapala is municipal seat of Chapala, State of Jalisco, Mexico.

Density
3,599/km²
people per km²
Founded
1200

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Chapala reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 26°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)
12511
22511
32511
42511
52511
62511
72511
82411
92411
102411
112411
122411
132411
142411
152411
162411
172411
182411
192411
202411
212411
222411
232411
242411
252410
262410
272410
282310
292310
302310
312310

Chapala weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 10°171.710.98.6
Feb26° / 11°111.611.38.5
Mar28° / 13°6111.97.9
Apr30° / 15°30.912.56.2
May31° / 16°164.212.95.3
Jun29° / 18°1161813.24.6
Jul26° / 17°17324.713.14.4
Aug26° / 17°15723.912.74.5
Sep26° / 17°13819.812.15.0
Oct26° / 15°458.311.57.0
Nov25° / 13°122.1118.5
Dec24° / 11°6110.88.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27525
37525
47426
57327
67228
77228
87129
97030
107030
116931
126931
136931
146832
156832
166832
176733
186733
196634
206634
216535
226535
236535
246436
256337
266337
276238
286238
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Chapala gets around 6 mm of rain over 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 3% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
72
82
92
102
113
123
133
143
153
163
173
183
194
204
214
224
234
244
254
264
275
285
295
304
314

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1937
2946
3946
4955
5955
6955
7964
8964
9973
10973
11973
12973
13982
14982
15982
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 10 h 54 min at the start of December to 10 h 48 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 7:17 AM to 7:32 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:176:08
210.97:176:08
310.87:186:09
410.87:196:09
510.87:196:09
610.87:206:09
710.87:206:09
810.87:216:10
910.87:226:10
1010.87:226:10
1110.87:236:10
1210.87:236:11
1310.87:246:11
1410.87:256:11
1510.87:256:12
1610.87:266:12
1710.87:266:13
1810.87:276:13
1910.87:276:13
2010.87:286:14
2110.87:286:14
2210.87:296:15
2310.87:296:15
2410.87:306:16
2510.87:306:16
2610.87:306:17
2710.87:316:17
2810.87:316:18
2910.87:326:18
3010.87:326:19
3110.87:326:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.74 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.74 kWh/m² to a high of 7.5 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.74 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Chapala

In seasonPeak

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

Chapala sits in the eastern Pacific hurricane zone; the season peaks August–September.

Chapala's rainy season runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Chapala?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Chapala for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Chapala in December

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

In December, Chapala sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Chapala in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chapala peaks around May 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMay 13UV 14Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Chapala 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 Chapala is worst in May — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.2× the cleanest month (July, 14 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1342 µg/m³Jul 2114 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr33Moderate
May44Poor
Jun17Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Chapala?

Chapala sits at 20.3°N, 103.2°W, 1,561 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is San José del Castillo, 25 km away.

Topography around Chapala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chapala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m around an average of 1,544 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 957 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,137 m.

The land around Chapala is covered by water (52%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and trees (37%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
211 m
16 km
957 m
80 km
2,137 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: San José del Castillo 25 km · Jocotepec 25 km · San José del Quince 29 km · Hacienda Santa Fe 32 km · Las Pintitas 32 km · Lomas del Sur 33 km · Tlajomulco de Zúñiga 34 km · Las Pintas de Arriba 34 km

Mexico travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 / 127 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 54% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,889
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
24.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 440
Religion
Catholic 78%no religion 11%other Evangelical Churches 8%Jehovah Witness 1%

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 Chapala (20.2925°, -103.1896°, elevation 1,561 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). 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).