San Carlos weather in December

In December, San Carlos sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 64 mm of rain across 18 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 27% 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 San Carlos's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Carlos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
11th warmest
Overnight low
23°
4th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
18 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
5:55 AM – 5:16 PM
Cloud cover
58%
5th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

San Carlos is Urban area of the San Carlos Municipality in Nicaragua. Seat of the San Carlos Municipality..

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 San Carlos reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°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)
12823
22823
32823
42823
52823
62823
72823
82823
92823
102823
112823
122823
132823
142823
152823
162823
172823
182823
192823
202823
212823
222823
232823
242823
252823
262823
272823
282823
292823
302823
312823

How December really feels in San Carlos

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.

San Carlos 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° / 23°3614.911.45.8
Feb29° / 23°2510.111.65.7
Mar30° / 23°166.611.95.6
Apr31° / 24°308.712.24.5
May31° / 24°18022.812.53.2
Jun30° / 24°24528.912.62.7
Jul29° / 24°22029.412.62.9
Aug29° / 24°21829.712.42.8
Sep30° / 24°2522912.12.7
Oct29° / 24°26329.111.83.0
Nov29° / 23°14722.611.53.9
Dec28° / 23°641811.45.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 30% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34654
44654
54753
64852
74951
85050
95050
105050
115248
125248
135347
145347
155545
165644
175842
185941
196040
206139
216337
226436
236436
246535
256634
266733
276832
286733
296832
306832
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San Carlos gets around 64 mm of rain over 18 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 59% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
168
267
366
466
565
664
763
863
962
1061
1161
1260
1360
1460
1559
1659
1758
1858
1957
2056
2156
2256
2355
2455
2555
2655
2755
2855
2954
3054
3153

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 82% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1211861
2212851
3212851
4212851
5212851
6212860
7212860
8312850
9312850
10313840
11313840
12313840
13314830
14314830
15314830
16315820
17315820
18315820
19316810
20316810
21316810
22317800
23317800
24317800
25318790
26318790
27318790
28319780
29319780
30419770
31420760

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

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 5:47 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.45:475:11
211.45:485:11
311.45:485:11
411.45:495:12
511.45:495:12
611.45:505:12
711.45:505:12
811.45:515:13
911.45:515:13
1011.45:525:13
1111.45:525:14
1211.45:535:14
1311.45:535:15
1411.45:545:15
1511.45:545:15
1611.45:555:16
1711.45:555:16
1811.35:565:17
1911.35:565:17
2011.35:575:18
2111.35:575:18
2211.35:585:19
2311.35:585:19
2411.35:595:19
2511.35:595:20
2611.35:595:20
2711.46:005:21
2811.46:005:21
2911.46:015:22
3011.46:015:22
3111.46:025:23

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 5.62 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 3.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.6Moderate
103.6Moderate
113.6Moderate
123.6Moderate
133.6Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.7Moderate
253.7Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for San Carlos

In seasonPeak

None of San Carlos'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 Carlos sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

San Carlos'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 San Carlos?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit San Carlos for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Carlos in December

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

In December, San Carlos sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in San Carlos 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 San Carlos 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
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Extreme
Dec9Very high

Air quality in San Carlos 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 Carlos 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 San Carlos?

San Carlos sits at 11.1°N, 84.8°W, 0 m above sea level, in Nicaragua. The nearest listed city is El Castillo, 43 km away.

El CastilloSan JoséNueva GuineaLiberia

Topography around San Carlos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San Carlos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 35 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 152 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,960 m.

The land around San Carlos is covered by water (46%) and trees (35%) within 3 km, water (39%), grassland (30%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
152 m
80 km
1,960 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: El Castillo 43 km · San José 44 km · Nueva Guinea 72 km · La Fortuna 74 km · Cañas 85 km · Liberia 90 km · Monteverde 91 km · Quesada 97 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 San Carlos (11.1271°, -84.7779°, 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). 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).