Chaves weather in December

In December, Chaves sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 97 mm of precipitation across 9.3 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Chaves's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chaves's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
97 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
9 hours
7:56 AM – 4:56 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
1.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Chaves is human settlement in 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 10°C through the month.

A typical December day in Chaves reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 13°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1104
2104
3104
4104
5104
6104
7104
8104
9103
10103
11103
12103
13103
14103
15103
16103
1793
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
3093
3193

Chaves weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 879.619.31.9
Feb11° / 597.50.910.32.8
Mar14° / 749.20.111.74.2
Apr16° / 7310.9013.14.8
May19° / 6810.1014.36.1
Jun23° / 12°335.50157.8
Jul27° / 14°183.4014.78.2
Aug27° / 14°194013.78.0
Sep23° / 12°425.9012.37.7
Oct18° / 11010.2010.95.6
Nov12° / 9010.80.19.63.3
Dec10° / 979.30.492.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23763
33763
43664
53664
63565
73565
83664
93664
103664
113664
123664
133763
143763
153763
163862
173862
183763
193862
203862
213862
223862
233862
243862
253862
263862
273763
283763
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Chaves gets around 97 mm of rain and snow over 9.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1301
2301
3291
4291
5291
6281
7281
8281
9281
10281
11281
12281
13281
14291
15291
16291
17291
18292
19302
20302
21312
22312
23322
24322
25332
26332
27332
28332
29342
30342
31342

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:44 AM to 8:03 AM, and sunset from 4:55 PM to 5:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:444:55
29.27:454:55
39.27:464:55
49.17:474:55
59.17:484:55
69.17:494:55
79.17:504:55
89.17:504:55
99.17:514:55
109.07:524:55
119.07:534:55
129.07:544:55
139.07:544:55
149.07:554:55
159.07:564:55
169.07:564:56
179.07:574:56
189.07:584:56
199.07:584:57
209.07:594:57
219.07:594:57
229.08:004:58
239.08:004:58
249.08:014:59
259.08:014:59
269.08:025:00
279.08:025:01
289.08:025:01
299.08:025:02
309.08:035:03
319.08:035:03

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.49 kWh/m² to a high of 7.27 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Chaves?

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

2.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chaves.

What to pack for Chaves in December

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

In December, Chaves sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Chaves 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 Chaves peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Chaves 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 Chaves is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 2017 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar14Moderate
Apr12Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chaves?

Chaves sits at 41.7°N, 7.5°W, 362 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Cabeceiras de Basto, 50 km away.

Topography around Chaves

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chaves has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 145 m around an average of 378 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 839 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,082 m.

The land around Chaves is covered by grassland (34%), cropland (22%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and grassland (45%) within 80 km.

3 km
145 m
16 km
839 m
80 km
2,082 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Cabeceiras de Basto 50 km · Vila Real 54 km · Bragança 59 km · Fafe 67 km · Custoias 72 km · Felgueiras 73 km · Ourense 74 km · Guimarães 76 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 Chaves (41.7402°, -7.4688°, elevation 362 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. 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).