El Castillo weather in December

In December, El Castillo sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 112 mm of rain across 24.2 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is El Castillo's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Castillo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
22°
4th coldest
Rainfall
112 mm
24.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:53 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
64%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

El Castillo is historic village in Río San Juan Department, Nicaragua.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in El Castillo reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12922
22922
32922
42922
52922
62922
72822
82822
92822
102822
112822
122822
132822
142822
152822
162822
172822
182822
192822
202822
212822
222822
232822
242822
252822
262822
272822
282822
292822
302822
312822

How December really feels in El Castillo

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.

El Castillo 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
Jan28° / 22°6020.211.45.0
Feb29° / 22°4115.911.64.9
Mar30° / 22°311211.94.9
Apr31° / 23°4713.412.23.9
May31° / 24°22025.912.52.7
Jun30° / 24°29729.612.62.5
Jul30° / 23°27130.312.62.7
Aug30° / 23°26029.912.42.6
Sep31° / 23°29029.412.12.4
Oct30° / 23°30129.711.82.7
Nov29° / 23°2122611.53.3
Dec28° / 22°11224.211.44.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33862
43862
53961
63961
74060
83961
94060
104060
114258
124258
134357
144456
154555
164654
174852
184951
195050
205149
215347
225446
235446
245545
255644
265743
275842
285842
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

El Castillo gets around 112 mm of rain over 24.2 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 78% and peaks near 83% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
183
283
383
483
582
682
782
881
981
1081
1181
1280
1380
1479
1579
1678
1778
1877
1977
2076
2176
2276
2376
2476
2575
2675
2775
2875
2975
3074
3174

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1010882
2010882
3010882
4010891
5010891
6010891
7110881
8110881
9110881
10110881
11110890
12110890
13110890
14110890
15110890
16110890
17210880
18210880
19210880
20210880
21210880
22210880
23211870
24211870
25211870
26212860
27212860
28213850
29213850
30214840
31215830

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:455:09
211.45:465:10
311.45:465:10
411.45:475:10
511.45:475:10
611.45:485:11
711.45:485:11
811.45:495:11
911.45:495:12
1011.45:505:12
1111.45:505:12
1211.45:515:13
1311.45:515:13
1411.45:525:14
1511.45:535:14
1611.45:535:14
1711.45:545:15
1811.45:545:15
1911.45:545:16
2011.45:555:16
2111.45:555:17
2211.45:565:17
2311.45:565:18
2411.45:575:18
2511.45:575:19
2611.45:585:19
2711.45:585:20
2811.45:595:20
2911.45:595:21
3011.45:595:21
3111.46:005:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.46 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.27 kWh/m² to a high of 5.42 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.46 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.4Moderate
163.4Moderate
173.4Moderate
183.4Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.5Moderate
213.5Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for El Castillo

In seasonPeak

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

El Castillo sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

El Castillo's rainy season runs May–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit El Castillo?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit El Castillo for sightseeing.

What to pack for El Castillo in December

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

In December, El Castillo sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near El Castillo in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 69 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in January near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr28Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in El Castillo 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 El Castillo peaks around March 19 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 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 highMar 19UV 14Dec 16UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in El Castillo 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 El Castillo is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1623 µg/m³Dec 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr18Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is El Castillo?

El Castillo sits at 11.0°N, 84.4°W, 0 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is San Carlos, 43 km away.

San CarlosNueva GuineaSan José

Topography around El Castillo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Castillo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,141 m.

The land around El Castillo is covered by trees (69%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, trees (67%) and grassland (31%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
128 m
16 km
403 m
80 km
2,141 m
treesgrasslandcroplandwater
December weather nearby: San Carlos 43 km · La Fortuna 67 km · Nueva Guinea 75 km · Quesada 77 km · San José 81 km · Monteverde 91 km · Cañas 101 km · San_Ramon_ 104 km

Nicaragua travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,173
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.3
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
16.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 512
Religion
Roman Catholic 45%Protestant 39%none 14%other 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 El Castillo (11.0189°, -84.397°, 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).