David weather in December

In December, David sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 189 mm of rain across 22.3 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is David's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see David's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
21°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
189 mm
22.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:41 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
53%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

David is capital of the province of Chiriquí, Panama.

Density
471/km²
people per km²
Founded
1602

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in David reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 8°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 about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12821
22821
32821
42821
52821
62821
72821
82821
92821
102821
112821
122821
132821
142921
152921
162921
172921
182921
192921
202921
212921
222921
232921
242921
252921
262921
272921
282921
292921
302921
312921

How December really feels in David

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.

David weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 20°5112.411.65.1
Feb31° / 21°327.511.75.1
Mar31° / 21°4910.511.94.4
Apr31° / 22°17322.612.23.3
May29° / 22°45030.112.42.8
Jun28° / 22°43629.812.52.9
Jul28° / 22°42430.512.42.9
Aug28° / 21°45330.912.32.9
Sep28° / 21°46029.9123.0
Oct28° / 21°60230.811.83.2
Nov28° / 21°52029.611.63.3
Dec29° / 21°18922.311.54.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23961
34060
44258
54357
64456
74555
84753
94852
104951
115149
125347
135446
145644
155842
165941
176139
186238
196436
206535
216733
226832
237030
247129
257129
267228
277327
287327
297327
307426
317426

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

David gets around 189 mm of rain over 22.3 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 72% and peaks near 90% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
190
289
388
487
586
685
784
883
982
1081
1180
1279
1377
1476
1574
1673
1771
1870
1968
2066
2165
2264
2362
2461
2560
2659
2758
2857
2956
3055
3154

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 67% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
115148
215346
315544
415742
515841
616039
716237
816336
926335
1026533
1126632
1236631
1336730
1446828
1546927
1656926
1766925
1867024
1977122
2087121
2197120
22107218
23107317
24117316
25127216
26127315
27137314
28137413
29137512
30147511
31147610

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 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 6:33 AM to 6:47 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:336:06
211.56:346:06
311.56:346:06
411.56:356:07
511.56:356:07
611.56:366:07
711.56:366:08
811.56:376:08
911.56:376:08
1011.56:386:09
1111.56:386:09
1211.56:396:10
1311.56:396:10
1411.56:406:10
1511.56:406:11
1611.56:416:11
1711.56:416:12
1811.56:426:12
1911.56:426:13
2011.56:426:13
2111.56:436:13
2211.56:436:14
2311.56:446:14
2411.56:446:15
2511.56:456:15
2611.56:456:16
2711.56:466:16
2811.56:466:17
2911.56:476:17
3011.56:476:18
3111.56:476:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.26 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.71 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for David

In seasonPeak

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

David's rainy season runs May–November, 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 David?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit David for sightseeing.

What to pack for David in December

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

In December, David sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near David in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 34 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in November near 28°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
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct28Tropical
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in David in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in David peaks around March 18 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 10 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 18UV 14Dec 16UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in David 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 David is worst in April — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodApr 1716 µg/m³Nov 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun12Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is David?

David sits at 8.4°N, 82.4°W, 47 m above sea level, in Panama. The nearest listed city is Pedregal, 6.0 km away.

BoqueteBocas del ToroChanguinolaPuerto ViejoSantiago de Veraguas

Topography around David

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around David has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 94 m around an average of 37 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 348 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,431 m.

The land around David is covered by artificial surfaces (51%), trees (27%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and trees (28%) within 16 km, and trees (47%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
94 m
16 km
348 m
80 km
3,431 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Pedregal 6.0 km · La Concepción 23 km · Boca Chica 33 km · Boquete 39 km · Bocas del Toro 104 km · Changuinola 112 km · Puerto Viejo 141 km · Santiago de Veraguas 163 km

Panama travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
110 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 45% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$19,790
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
13.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 491
Religion
Evangelical 55%Roman Catholic 33%none 10%

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 David (8.4273°, -82.4309°, elevation 47 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. 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).