San Cristóbal de las Casas weather in December

In December, San Cristóbal de las Casas sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 18 mm of rain across 2.6 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-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 54% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

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 San Cristóbal de las Casas's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Cristóbal de las Casas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
11th warmest
Overnight low
13°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
18 mm
2.6 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:36 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
38%
4th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

San Cristóbal de las Casas is municipal seat of San Cristóbal, State of Chiapas, Mexico.

Founded
1528

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 San Cristóbal de las Casas reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12413
22413
32413
42413
52413
62413
72413
82413
92413
102413
112413
122413
132413
142413
152413
162413
172413
182413
192413
202413
212413
222413
232413
242413
252413
262412
272412
282412
292412
302412
312412

San Cristóbal de las Casas 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
Jan24° / 12°122.611.18.6
Feb26° / 13°71.711.48.5
Mar27° / 14°183.711.97.8
Apr28° / 15°508.612.46.7
May27° / 16°22319.212.85.1
Jun25° / 16°48625.7134.1
Jul25° / 16°30021.612.94.8
Aug25° / 16°36323.212.64.6
Sep25° / 16°42926.312.14.1
Oct24° / 15°23018.111.65.5
Nov24° / 14°587.911.27.5
Dec24° / 13°182.6118.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37525
47624
57624
67822
77822
87921
97921
107921
117921
127921
137822
147822
157822
167822
177822
187822
197822
207822
217822
227822
237723
247723
257723
267723
277723
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San Cristóbal de las Casas gets around 18 mm of rain over 2.6 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 9% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
212
312
411
510
610
79
89
98
108
118
128
139
149
159
169
179
189
199
209
219
229
239
249
259
269
279
289
299
309
319

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 65% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
153416
254415
355405
456404
557394
658393
759383
860373
961372
1061372
1162362
1262362
1363352
1463352
1564342
1664342
1765332
1866322
1966322
2067312
2168302
2269292
2369292
2471281
2571281
2672271
2773261
2873261
2974251
3076240
3176240

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
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 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 6:28 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:285:33
211.16:295:33
311.16:295:33
411.16:305:33
511.06:305:33
611.06:315:34
711.06:325:34
811.06:325:34
911.06:335:34
1011.06:335:35
1111.06:345:35
1211.06:345:35
1311.06:355:36
1411.06:355:36
1511.06:365:37
1611.06:365:37
1711.06:375:37
1811.06:385:38
1911.06:385:38
2011.06:395:39
2111.06:395:39
2211.06:395:40
2311.06:405:40
2411.06:405:41
2511.06:415:41
2611.06:415:42
2711.06:425:42
2811.06:425:43
2911.06:435:43
3011.06:435:44
3111.06:435:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.65 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for San Cristóbal de las Casas

In seasonPeak

None of San Cristóbal de las Casas'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 Cristóbal de las Casas'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 San Cristóbal de las Casas?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for San Cristóbal de las Casas in December

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

In December, San Cristóbal de las Casas sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in San Cristóbal de las Casas 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 San Cristóbal de las Casas peaks around April 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (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 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun14Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in San Cristóbal de las Casas 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 Cristóbal de las Casas is worst in April — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateApr 2337 µg/m³Dec 1612 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr38Poor
May37Poor
Jun21Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Cristóbal de las Casas?

San Cristóbal de las Casas sits at 16.7°N, 92.6°W, 2,183 m above sea level, in Mexico. The nearest listed city is Teopisca, 27 km away.

Topography around San Cristóbal de las Casas

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Cristóbal de las Casas has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 392 m around an average of 2,158 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,344 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,842 m.

The land around San Cristóbal de las Casas is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, trees (58%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (62%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
392 m
16 km
2,344 m
80 km
2,842 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Teopisca 27 km · Chiapas 40 km · Venustiano Carranza 44 km · Las Rosas 50 km · Suchiapa 50 km · Tuxtla 51 km · Yajalón 59 km · Ocosingo 61 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 San Cristóbal de las Casas (16.7301°, -92.6382°, elevation 2,183 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).