Santa Maria weather in December

In December, Santa Maria sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 119 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Santa Maria's 6th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Maria's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
10th warmest
Overnight low
24°
4th coldest
Rainfall
119 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
5:46 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
75%
6th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Santa Maria is municipality of the Philippines in the province of Davao Occidental.

Density
96/km²
people per km²
Founded
1966

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Santa Maria reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13024
23024
33024
43024
53024
63024
73024
83024
93024
103024
113024
123024
133024
143024
153024
163024
173024
183024
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242923
252923
262923
272923
282923
292923
302923
312923

How December really feels in Santa Maria

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Santa Maria weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°14116.411.74.6
Feb29° / 23°941311.84.7
Mar30° / 23°10613.2124.6
Apr31° / 24°9214.912.14.0
May31° / 24°17024.612.33.1
Jun30° / 24°20925.912.42.9
Jul30° / 24°18024.912.33.2
Aug30° / 24°16723.612.23.2
Sep30° / 24°16322.5123.2
Oct30° / 24°17723.711.93.2
Nov30° / 24°13520.311.73.6
Dec30° / 24°11917.211.64.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 73%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
62971
72971
82971
92971
102971
112971
122971
132872
142773
152773
162674
172674
182674
192674
202575
212575
222575
232674
242575
252674
262674
272575
282674
292674
302674
312674

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Santa Maria gets around 119 mm of rain over 17.2 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 56% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
360
460
559
659
759
859
959
1059
1159
1259
1359
1458
1558
1658
1757
1857
1957
2056
2156
2255
2354
2453
2553
2652
2751
2851
2951
3051
3150

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 89% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
118910
218910
318910
428810
528810
628810
728810
828810
91909
101909
111909
121918
132908
142917
152917
162926
172926
183916
193916
204906
214906
224906
235896
246886
256886
267876
277885
288875
298875
308875
319874

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 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 5:38 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 5:17 PM to 5:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.65:385:17
211.65:395:18
311.65:395:18
411.65:405:18
511.65:405:19
611.65:415:19
711.65:415:19
811.65:425:20
911.65:425:20
1011.65:435:20
1111.65:435:21
1211.65:445:21
1311.65:445:22
1411.65:455:22
1511.65:455:22
1611.65:465:23
1711.65:465:23
1811.65:475:24
1911.65:475:24
2011.65:485:25
2111.65:485:25
2211.65:495:26
2311.65:495:26
2411.65:495:27
2511.65:505:27
2611.65:505:28
2711.65:515:28
2811.65:515:29
2911.65:525:29
3011.65:525:30
3111.65:535:30

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.77 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.77 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Santa Maria

In seasonPeak

In December, Santa Maria sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Santa Maria sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Santa Maria?

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

December is a reasonable time to visit Santa Maria for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Maria in December

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

In December, Santa Maria sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Maria 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 13 km away) is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in February 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
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria peaks around March 23 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 23UV 15Dec 14UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria is worst in September — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 2019 µg/m³May 1715 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Maria?

Santa Maria sits at 6.6°N, 125.5°E, 19 m above sea level, in Philippines. The nearest listed city is Malita, 22 km away.

Topography around Santa Maria

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Maria has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 432 m around an average of 75 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,118 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,917 m.

The land around Santa Maria is covered by trees (89%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and water (44%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
432 m
16 km
1,118 m
80 km
2,917 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Malita 22 km · Digos 25 km · Maluñgun 37 km · Bansalan 38 km · Magsaysay 40 km · Lambayong 47 km · Alabel 54 km · Polomolok 58 km

Philippines travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B / C
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,171
2025
Happiness
6.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
48%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
4.3
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Roman Catholic 79%other 8%Muslim 6%other Christian 4%

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 Santa Maria (6.5536°, 125.4708°, elevation 19 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).