Rivas weather in December

In December, Rivas sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 31 mm of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 8th-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 61% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rivas's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rivas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
11th warmest
Overnight low
24°
4th coldest
Rainfall
31 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
5:59 AM – 5:19 PM
Cloud cover
39%
4th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Rivas is Urban area of the Rivas 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 Rivas reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122824
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

How December really feels in Rivas

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.

Rivas 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
Jan27° / 24°18711.47.5
Feb28° / 24°103.511.67.8
Mar29° / 24°72.311.97.3
Apr29° / 25°20612.26.0
May29° / 26°17921.112.54.0
Jun28° / 25°23728.312.73.2
Jul28° / 25°20928.812.63.3
Aug28° / 25°21429.112.43.3
Sep28° / 25°2632912.13.2
Oct28° / 25°28328.711.73.6
Nov28° / 25°11017.711.55.2
Dec27° / 24°319.511.36.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 23%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26634
36733
46832
56832
67030
77129
87129
97228
107327
117327
127426
137426
147624
157624
167822
177822
188020
198020
208119
218218
228317
238317
248416
258515
268515
278614
288614
298614
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Rivas gets around 31 mm of rain over 9.5 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 32% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
238
337
437
536
636
735
835
934
1034
1133
1233
1332
1432
1531
1630
1730
1829
1929
2028
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2629
2729
2829
2929
3028
3128

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 83% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1111871
2011881
3011881
4011881
5012880
6112870
7112870
8113860
9113860
10113860
11114850
12115840
13115840
14116830
15116830
16117820
17117820
18118810
19118810
20119800
21119800
22219790
23220780
24220780
25220780
26220780
27220780
28220780
29220780
30220780
31220780

Wind in December

Winds average 28 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 26 km/h on the calmest days to 30 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
126breezy
226breezy
326breezy
426breezy
526breezy
627breezy
727breezy
827breezy
927breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1428breezy
1528breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2229breezy
2329breezy
2429breezy
2529breezy
2629windy
2729windy
2829windy
2930windy
3030windy
3130windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of December to 11 h 18 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 5:52 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 5:14 PM to 5:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:525:14
211.45:525:15
311.45:535:15
411.45:535:15
511.45:545:15
611.45:545:16
711.45:555:16
811.45:555:16
911.35:565:17
1011.35:565:17
1111.35:575:17
1211.35:575:18
1311.35:585:18
1411.35:585:19
1511.35:595:19
1611.35:595:19
1711.36:005:20
1811.36:005:20
1911.36:015:21
2011.36:015:21
2111.36:025:22
2211.36:025:22
2311.36:035:23
2411.36:035:23
2511.36:045:24
2611.36:045:24
2711.36:055:25
2811.36:055:25
2911.36:065:26
3011.36:065:26
3111.36:065:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Rivas

In seasonPeak

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

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

Rivas's monsoon runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Rivas?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Rivas for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Rivas in December

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

In December, Rivas sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Rivas 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 33 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Rivas 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 Rivas peaks around March 20 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 highMar 20UV 14Dec 15UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Rivas 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 Rivas is worst in July — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1622 µg/m³Dec 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr19Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rivas?

Rivas sits at 11.4°N, 85.8°W, 69 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is San Juan del Sur, 21 km away.

NandaimeGranadaJinotepeMasatepeDiriambaMasayaSan Marcos

Topography around Rivas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rivas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m around an average of 67 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,619 m.

The land around Rivas is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, trees (40%), water (30%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and water (59%) and trees (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
170 m
16 km
342 m
80 km
1,619 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: San Juan del Sur 21 km · Nandaime 43 km · Granada 56 km · Jinotepe 61 km · Masatepe 63 km · Diriamba 65 km · Masaya 66 km · San Marcos 66 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 Rivas (11.4398°, -85.8275°, elevation 69 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).