Santa Maria weather in December

In December, Santa Maria sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 72 mm of rain across 12 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Santa Maria's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Maria's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
10th warmest
Overnight low
22°
4th coldest
Rainfall
72 mm
12 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:25 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
53%
5th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Santa Maria reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152623
162623
172622
182622
192622
202622
212622
222622
232622
242622
252622
262622
272622
282622
292622
302622
312622

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
Jan26° / 22°388.411.17.2
Feb26° / 22°388.511.47.1
Mar27° / 22°4712.611.96.5
Apr27° / 23°842012.45.1
May28° / 24°21926.912.83.9
Jun28° / 24°34127.6133.4
Jul27° / 24°55829.612.93.4
Aug27° / 24°52328.712.63.5
Sep27° / 24°36927.912.13.6
Oct27° / 23°27223.611.64.4
Nov27° / 23°10416.111.25.6
Dec26° / 22°7212116.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
36040
46139
56139
66040
76139
86139
96139
106238
116238
126139
136139
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206040
216040
226040
236040
246040
256139
266139
276238
286337
296436
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Santa Maria gets around 72 mm of rain over 12 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 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
240
339
438
538
638
737
837
937
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2638
2738
2837
2937
3036
3135

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 48% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1053164
2063361
3063460
4063559
5053659
6053758
7053758
8053857
9053857
10063955
11064054
12064054
13064153
14064252
15064252
16074350
17074449
18084448
19084546
20094645
210104743
220104842
230114840
240124939
251125037
261125136
271135135
281135333
291135432
301135531
311135729

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 5:20 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:165:20
211.16:175:20
311.06:175:20
411.06:185:20
511.06:185:21
611.06:195:21
711.06:205:21
811.06:205:21
911.06:215:22
1011.06:215:22
1111.06:225:22
1211.06:225:23
1311.06:235:23
1411.06:245:23
1511.06:245:24
1611.06:255:24
1711.06:255:25
1811.06:265:25
1911.06:265:25
2011.06:275:26
2111.06:275:26
2211.06:285:27
2311.06:285:27
2411.06:285:28
2511.06:295:28
2611.06:295:29
2711.06:305:29
2811.06:305:30
2911.06:315:30
3011.06:315:31
3111.06:315:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.09 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.09 kWh/m² to a high of 6.59 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.2Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
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.

Santa Maria's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Pacific typhoon
Monsoon
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).

6.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

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 26°C and nights near 22°C. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Santa Maria in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in June at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul30Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Santa Maria in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 (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 August 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 17UV 13Dec 11UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

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 March — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 2416 µg/m³Dec 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul9Good
Aug10Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Maria?

Santa Maria sits at 17.0°N, 120.4°E, 9 m above sea level, in Philippines. The nearest listed city is Tagudin, 2.0 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 only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,098 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,898 m.

The land around Santa Maria is covered by trees (33%), cropland (31%) and water (29%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and water (40%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
113 m
16 km
1,098 m
80 km
2,898 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Tagudin 2.0 km · Mankayan 37 km · San Fernando 40 km · Bauang 48 km · La Trinidad 57 km · Bontoc 59 km · Baguio 62 km · Aringay 63 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 (16.9518°, 120.4445°, elevation 9 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).