Angra do Heroísmo weather in December

In December, Angra do Heroísmo sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 119 mm of rain across 13.9 wet days and about 9.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Angra do Heroísmo's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Angra do Heroísmo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
8th warmest
Overnight low
15°
5th coldest
Rainfall
119 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 18 min
8:06 AM – 5:24 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
32 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
1.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Angra do Heroísmo is city seat of Angra do Heroísmo municipality, Azores, Portugal.

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 17°C through the month.

A typical December day in Angra do Heroísmo reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11716
21716
31716
41716
51716
61716
71716
81716
91716
101716
111715
121715
131715
141715
151715
161715
171715
181715
191715
201715
211715
221715
231715
241715
251715
261715
271715
281715
291715
301715
311715

Angra do Heroísmo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 15°7911.59.64.7
Feb15° / 14°6510.510.54.5
Mar15° / 14°7610.911.74.5
Apr16° / 14°609.7134.8
May17° / 16°517.814.15.7
Jun19° / 18°386.114.66.7
Jul21° / 20°193.614.47.7
Aug22° / 21°275.213.57.7
Sep22° / 21°458.312.36.9
Oct20° / 19°8711.9116.0
Nov18° / 17°679.69.95.7
Dec17° / 15°11913.99.34.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% 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 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33367
43367
53367
63466
73268
83169
93169
103169
113169
123169
133169
143268
153070
163070
173169
183169
193070
203070
213070
223169
233070
243070
253070
263169
273268
283268
293268
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Angra do Heroísmo gets around 119 mm of rain over 13.9 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 44% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
232
333
434
535
636
737
839
940
1042
1143
1244
1345
1446
1547
1648
1749
1850
1950
2050
2150
2250
2350
2450
2549
2649
2748
2848
2948
3047
3147

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 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1572716
2562816
3562816
4562816
5552916
6552916
7543016
8553015
9543115
10543214
11553213
12543313
13553312
14553411
15563410
1656359
1756368
1856368
1956377
2056386
2156386
2255396
2354406
2455405
2554415
2654415
2753425
2853425
2952435
3052435
3152435

Wind in December

Winds average 32 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 29 km/h on the calmest days to 33 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

010203040151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
129windy
229windy
329windy
430windy
530windy
630windy
730windy
830windy
930windy
1031windy
1131windy
1231windy
1332windy
1432windy
1532windy
1632windy
1733windy
1833windy
1933windy
2033windy
2133windy
2233windy
2333windy
2433windy
2533windy
2633windy
2733windy
2833windy
2933windy
3033windy
3133windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of December to 9 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:54 AM to 8:12 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.57:545:24
29.57:555:23
39.57:565:23
49.47:565:23
59.47:575:23
69.47:585:23
79.47:595:23
89.48:005:23
99.48:015:23
109.48:015:23
119.48:025:23
129.38:035:23
139.38:045:24
149.38:045:24
159.38:055:24
169.38:065:24
179.38:065:25
189.38:075:25
199.38:075:25
209.38:085:26
219.38:095:26
229.38:095:27
239.38:095:27
249.38:105:28
259.38:105:28
269.38:115:29
279.38:115:29
289.38:115:30
299.38:125:31
309.38:125:31
319.38:125:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.75 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.75 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.7Dim
161.7Dim
171.7Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.7Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.8Dim
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Angra do Heroísmo

In seasonPeak

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

Angra do Heroísmo sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Angra do Heroísmo?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Angra do Heroísmo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Angra do Heroísmo in December

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

In December, Angra do Heroísmo sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 15°C. Pack a windbreaker. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a windbreakera warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Angra do Heroísmo 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 23°C and coldest in March near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 29 to Oct 27 — about 4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr16Cool
May17Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Angra do Heroísmo 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 Angra do Heroísmo peaks around August 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateAug 10UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Angra do Heroísmo?

Angra do Heroísmo sits at 38.7°N, 27.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Ponta Delgada, 169 km away.

Ponta DelgadaCâmara de LobosSanto AntónioFunchalSão MartinhoCaniço

Topography around Angra do Heroísmo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Angra do Heroísmo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 294 m around an average of 65 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,019 m.

The land around Angra do Heroísmo is covered by water (46%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (55%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and water (94%) within 80 km.

3 km
294 m
16 km
1,026 m
80 km
1,019 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ponta Delgada 169 km · Câmara de Lobos 1,140 km · Santo António 1,142 km · Funchal 1,143 km · São Martinho 1,143 km · Caniço 1,150 km · Los Llanos de Aridane 1,404 km · Santa Cruz de la Palma 1,411 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 Angra do Heroísmo (38.6539°, -27.2184°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).