Ocotal weather in December

In December, Ocotal sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 13 mm of rain across 4 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ocotal's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ocotal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
12th warmest
Overnight low
17°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
13 mm
4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:06 AM – 5:18 PM
Cloud cover
52%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Ocotal is Urban area of the Ocotal Municipality, 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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ocotal reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°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)
12718
22718
32718
42718
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232717
242717
252717
262717
272717
282717
292717
302717
312717

How December really feels in Ocotal

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.

Ocotal weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°93.211.37.7
Feb28° / 17°51.311.57.3
Mar30° / 18°82.111.96.0
Apr32° / 20°274.712.34.6
May31° / 21°16916.812.63.7
Jun29° / 20°17121.612.83.9
Jul28° / 20°8917.712.74.8
Aug29° / 20°1161912.54.3
Sep29° / 20°17021.912.13.7
Oct28° / 19°19320.911.74.5
Nov27° / 18°47911.46.5
Dec27° / 17°13411.27.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 33% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25545
35644
45644
55842
65842
75941
86040
96040
106139
116139
126139
136238
146238
156238
166238
176238
186337
196337
206337
216436
226436
236436
246436
256436
266436
276436
286535
296535
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ocotal gets around 13 mm of rain over 4 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 14% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
117
216
316
415
515
615
715
814
914
1014
1114
1214
1314
1414
1514
1614
1714
1814
1914
2014
2113
2213
2313
2413
2513
2613
2713
2813
2913
3013
3113

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 61% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11136125
21146223
31146322
41156321
51166320
61176319
71176319
81186318
92196118
102206117
112216017
122225917
132235916
142245816
152255815
162255815
172265814
182265814
192275714
202275813
212275912
223275812
233275911
243266110
253266110
26325639
27325639
28325648
29325648
30425647
31425647

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 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 5:58 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.35:585:13
211.25:595:13
311.25:595:14
411.26:005:14
511.26:005:14
611.26:015:15
711.26:015:15
811.26:025:15
911.26:025:15
1011.26:035:16
1111.26:035:16
1211.26:045:16
1311.26:055:17
1411.26:055:17
1511.26:065:18
1611.26:065:18
1711.26:075:18
1811.26:075:19
1911.26:085:19
2011.26:085:20
2111.26:095:20
2211.26:095:21
2311.26:095:21
2411.26:105:22
2511.26:105:22
2611.26:115:23
2711.26:115:23
2811.26:125:24
2911.26:125:24
3011.26:125:25
3111.26:135:25

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.27 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.36 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.27 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ocotal

In seasonPeak

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

Ocotal'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 Ocotal?

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

7.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ocotal in December

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

In December, Ocotal sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

light clothes

UV index in Ocotal 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 Ocotal peaks around March 24 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 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 24UV 14Dec 14UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Ocotal 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 Ocotal is worst in April — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.9× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 2324 µg/m³Dec 225 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr24Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct10Good
Nov7Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ocotal?

Ocotal sits at 13.6°N, 86.5°W, 600 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is Somoto, 20 km away.

DanlíJalapaEstelíMorocelíTeupasentiJinotega

Topography around Ocotal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ocotal has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 500 m around an average of 627 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,571 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,039 m.

The land around Ocotal is covered by grassland (38%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (61%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
500 m
16 km
1,571 m
80 km
2,039 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Somoto 20 km · El Paraíso 27 km · Danlí 46 km · Jalapa 50 km · Estelí 61 km · Morocelí 69 km · Teupasenti 69 km · Jinotega 79 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 Ocotal (13.6322°, -86.474°, elevation 600 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).