Albufeira weather in December

In December, Albufeira sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 84 mm of rain across 7.5 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Albufeira's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Albufeira's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
7.5 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:45 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
50%
12th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Albufeira is human settlement in Portugal.

Air quality
Good
PM10 20.9 µg/m³ · 2019

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 16°C through the month.

A typical December day in Albufeira reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11613
21613
31613
41613
51613
61613
71613
81613
91613
101613
111613
121613
131613
141613
151613
161613
171613
181613
191613
201613
211613
221613
231613
241613
251613
261613
271613
281613
291613
301513
311513

Albufeira weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 12°517.19.75.0
Feb15° / 12°445.610.65.2
Mar16° / 13°496.511.75.8
Apr17° / 14°385.612.96.4
May19° / 16°234.2147.4
Jun22° / 18°40.814.58.8
Jul24° / 19°00.114.39.7
Aug24° / 20°20.313.49.5
Sep23° / 19°182.712.38.6
Oct20° / 17°636.5117.2
Nov18° / 15°657.3106.4
Dec16° / 13°847.59.55.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55743
65743
75743
85743
95644
105644
115644
125545
135545
145545
155545
165446
175446
185545
195545
205446
215446
225545
235545
245545
255446
265545
275545
285545
295545
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Albufeira gets around 84 mm of rain over 7.5 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
323
423
522
622
722
822
922
1022
1123
1223
1324
1425
1525
1626
1726
1827
1927
2028
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2627
2727
2827
2927
3026
3126

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 78% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
176222
276222
376222
477221
577221
677221
776231
876231
976231
1076231
1176231
1276231
1377221
1477221
1576222
1676222
1777212
1877212
1978202
2079192
2179192
2280182
2380182
2480182
2581172
2681172
2781172
2881172
2982162
3082162
3183161

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min at the start of December to 9 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:34 AM to 7:52 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 5:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:345:12
29.67:355:12
39.67:355:12
49.67:365:12
59.67:375:12
69.67:385:12
79.57:395:12
89.57:405:12
99.57:405:12
109.57:415:12
119.57:425:12
129.57:435:12
139.57:435:12
149.57:445:13
159.57:455:13
169.57:455:13
179.57:465:13
189.57:465:14
199.57:475:14
209.57:485:15
219.47:485:15
229.47:495:15
239.47:495:16
249.57:495:16
259.57:505:17
269.57:505:18
279.57:515:18
289.57:515:19
299.57:515:19
309.57:515:20
319.57:525:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.32 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.32 kWh/m² to a high of 7.92 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.32 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.3Moderate
152.3Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.3Moderate
232.3Moderate
242.3Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Albufeira?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Albufeira for sightseeing.

What to pack for Albufeira in December

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

In December, Albufeira sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera windbreaker

Sea temperature near Albufeira in December

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 August at about 20°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 1 to Sep 27 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Cool
Mar15Cool
Apr16Cool
May17Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct20Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Albufeira in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Albufeira peaks around July 14 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 14UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar7High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Albufeira?

Albufeira sits at 37.1°N, 8.3°W, 14 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Quarteira, 13 km away.

Topography around Albufeira

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Albufeira has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 114 m around an average of 34 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 320 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 894 m.

The land around Albufeira is covered by water (37%), grassland (27%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, water (48%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (43%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
114 m
16 km
320 m
80 km
894 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Quarteira 13 km · Loulé 21 km · Portimão 26 km · Faro 30 km · Olhão 37 km · Lagos 38 km · Quelfes 38 km · Porto de Mós 38 km

Portugal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$32,082
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
8.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 612
Religion
Catholic 68%not applicable 13%no religion 12%no response 2%

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 Albufeira (37.0882°, -8.2503°, elevation 14 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).