Faro weather in December

In December, Faro sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 90 mm of rain across 7.7 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 42% 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 Faro's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Faro's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
10th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
90 mm
7.7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:44 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
49%
12th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
2.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Faro is city seat of Faro municipality.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2017

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 Faro 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 17°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
251513
261513
271513
281513
291513
301513
311512

Faro 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°557.29.74.9
Feb15° / 12°475.510.65.1
Mar16° / 13°536.511.75.7
Apr17° / 14°425.712.96.4
May19° / 16°244.5147.4
Jun22° / 18°50.914.58.9
Jul24° / 20°00.114.39.6
Aug25° / 20°20.313.49.5
Sep23° / 19°192.712.38.6
Oct20° / 17°676.6117.1
Nov18° / 15°707.3106.3
Dec16° / 13°907.79.55.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85743
95743
105743
115644
125644
135644
145545
155545
165545
175545
185545
195446
205446
215545
225545
235446
245446
255446
265446
275545
285545
295545
305545
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Faro gets around 90 mm of rain over 7.7 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
523
622
722
822
923
1023
1123
1224
1324
1425
1526
1626
1727
1827
1928
2028
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2627
2727
2827
2926
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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
178202
278202
379201
479201
579201
679201
778211
878211
978211
1078211
1178211
1278211
1378211
1478211
1579201
1679201
1779201
1880191
1980191
2081181
2181181
2282171
2382171
2481172
2582162
2682162
2782162
2882162
2982162
3083161
3184151

Wind in December

Winds average 21 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
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3120breezy

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 7:32 AM to 7:50 AM, and sunset from 5:11 PM to 5:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:325:11
29.67:335:11
39.67:345:11
49.67:355:10
59.67:365:10
69.67:365:10
79.67:375:10
89.57:385:11
99.57:395:11
109.57:405:11
119.57:405:11
129.57:415:11
139.57:425:11
149.57:425:11
159.57:435:12
169.57:445:12
179.57:445:12
189.57:455:13
199.57:455:13
209.57:465:13
219.57:475:14
229.57:475:14
239.57:475:15
249.57:485:15
259.57:485:16
269.57:495:16
279.57:495:17
289.57:495:18
299.57:505:18
309.57:505:19
319.57:505:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.33 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.33 kWh/m² to a high of 7.93 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.33 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.4Moderate
102.4Moderate
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
302.4Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Faro?

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
0.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Faro for sightseeing.

What to pack for Faro in December

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

In December, Faro 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 Faro 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 at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in August at about 22°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 22 to Oct 25 — about 4.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May18Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Faro 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 Faro 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
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Faro 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 Faro is worst in March — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Faro's WHO annual average of 9.8 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMar 1615 µg/m³Dec 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr12Good
May10Good
Jun8Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct10Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Faro?

Faro sits at 37.0°N, 7.9°W, 24 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Olhão, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Faro

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Faro has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 50 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 408 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 894 m.

The land around Faro is covered by wetland (26%) within 3 km, water (49%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and water (40%) and grassland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
50 m
16 km
408 m
80 km
894 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Olhão 8.0 km · Quelfes 10 km · Laranjeiro 12 km · Loulé 16 km · Quarteira 16 km · Tavira 28 km · Albufeira 30 km · Ayamonte 51 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 Faro (37.0187°, -7.9272°, elevation 24 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. 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).