Mollendo weather in December

In December, Mollendo sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 14 mm of rain across 4.4 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mollendo's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mollendo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
5th warmest
Overnight low
17°
9th coldest
Rainfall
14 mm
4.4 wet days
Daylight
13 hours
5:14 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
90%
8th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Mollendo is city of Peru.

Founded
1871

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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mollendo reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12216
22217
32217
42217
52217
62217
72217
82217
92217
102217
112217
122217
132217
142217
152217
162217
172217
182217
192217
202318
212318
222318
232318
242318
252318
262318
272318
282318
292318
302318
312318

Mollendo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 19°227.512.96.7
Feb24° / 19°206.712.66.7
Mar24° / 19°123.912.17.2
Apr22° / 17°82.311.67.3
May21° / 15°113.311.26.8
Jun18° / 14°196.9115.8
Jul17° / 13°217.611.15.3
Aug17° / 13°144.911.45.7
Sep18° / 13°92.711.96.5
Oct20° / 14°71.212.46.9
Nov21° / 16°81.912.87.0
Dec22° / 17°144.4136.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1892
2892
3892
4892
5892
6892
7892
8892
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14892
15892
16892
17793
18793
19793
20793
21793
22793
23793
24793
25793
26793
27793
28793
29793
30892
31892

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mollendo gets around 14 mm of rain over 4.4 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 21% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
29
39
49
510
610
711
811
912
1012
1112
1213
1313
1413
1514
1614
1715
1815
1915
2016
2116
2216
2317
2417
2518
2618
2719
2819
2920
3020
3121

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
159410
256440
353470
451490
548520
646540
743570
841590
939610
1037630
1134660
1232671
1330691
1428711
1527721
1625732
1723752
1821772
1919783
2017803
2115823
2213834
2311854
2410855
258866
267876
275887
284888
293898
303889
3128810

Wind in December

Winds average 10 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
111calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:09 AM to 5:21 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.95:096:06
213.05:106:07
313.05:106:07
413.05:106:08
513.05:106:08
613.05:116:09
713.05:116:10
813.05:116:10
913.05:116:11
1013.05:126:11
1113.05:126:12
1213.05:126:12
1313.05:136:13
1413.05:136:13
1513.05:136:14
1613.05:146:15
1713.05:146:15
1813.05:156:16
1913.05:156:16
2013.05:166:17
2113.05:166:17
2213.05:176:18
2313.05:176:18
2413.05:176:18
2513.05:186:19
2613.05:186:19
2713.05:196:20
2813.05:206:20
2913.05:206:21
3013.05:216:21
3113.05:216:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.77 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.77 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.9Intense
46.9Intense
56.9Intense
66.9Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
106.9Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Mollendo?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mollendo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mollendo in December

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

In December, Mollendo sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 4 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Mollendo in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 16 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 29 to May 6 — about 5.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr21Refreshing
May20Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct18Cool
Nov20Cool
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Mollendo in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mollendo peaks around February 9 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 15Jul 10UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mollendo?

Mollendo sits at 17.0°S, 72.0°W, 70 m above sea level, in Peru. The nearest listed city is El Pedregal, 76 km away.

Topography around Mollendo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mollendo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 m around an average of 82 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,294 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,397 m.

The land around Mollendo is covered by bare terrain (45%) and water (36%) within 3 km, water (44%) and bare terrain (43%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (59%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
407 m
16 km
1,294 m
80 km
3,397 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: El Pedregal 76 km · Jacobo Hunter 81 km · Ciudad Satelite 84 km · Arequipa 86 km · Camaná 86 km · Selva Alegre 89 km · Cono Norte 90 km · Ilo 98 km

Peru travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
220 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 51% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$9,684
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
49%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.6
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
13.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 519
Religion
Catholic 76%Evangelical Christian 16%no religion 5%other religions 3%

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 Mollendo (-17.0231°, -72.0147°, elevation 70 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).