Loulé weather in December

In December, Loulé sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 75 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Loulé's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Loulé's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
75 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:44 AM – 5:12 PM
Cloud cover
53%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
2.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Loulé 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 15°C through the month.

A typical December day in Loulé reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1168
2168
3168
4158
5158
6158
7158
8158
9158
10158
11158
12158
13158
14158
15158
16158
17158
18158
19158
20157
21157
22157
23157
24157
25157
26157
27157
28157
29157
30157
31157

How December really feels in Loulé

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Loulé weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 487.39.74.6
Feb15° / 465.610.65.3
Mar18° / 567.411.76.4
Apr20° / 10°537.412.96.8
May24° / 13°386.5147.7
Jun28° / 16°101.914.57.6
Jul32° / 18°10.314.35.8
Aug31° / 18°30.513.45.8
Sep28° / 17°263.712.37.4
Oct23° / 14°657.1117.3
Nov18° / 10°647.3106.2
Dec15° / 757.69.54.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55446
65446
75347
85347
95347
105248
115248
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175050
185050
195050
204951
214951
224951
235149
245149
255149
265149
275149
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Loulé gets around 75 mm of rain over 7.6 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
623
723
823
923
1024
1124
1225
1326
1426
1527
1627
1728
1828
1928
2028
2127
2227
2327
2426
2526
2626
2725
2825
2924
3024
3124

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19370
29370
39370
49370
59370
69370
79370
89280
99280
109280
119280
129280
139280
149280
159280
169280
179280
189280
199280
209280
219370
229370
239271
249271
259271
269271
279271
289271
299271
309370
319370

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 7:33 AM to 7:51 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)
19.67:335:11
29.67:345:11
39.67:355:11
49.67:355:11
59.67:365:10
69.67:375:10
79.57:385:10
89.57:395:11
99.57:405:11
109.57:405:11
119.57:415:11
129.57:425:11
139.57:425:11
149.57:435:11
159.57:445:12
169.57:445:12
179.57:455:12
189.57:465:13
199.47:465:13
209.47:475:13
219.47:475:14
229.47:485:14
239.47:485:15
249.47:495:15
259.47:495:16
269.57:495:16
279.57:505:17
289.57:505:18
299.57:505:18
309.57:515:19
319.57:515:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 2.26 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 7.93 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 2.26 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.4Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Loulé?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Loulé for sightseeing.

What to pack for Loulé in December

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

In December, Loulé sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Loulé 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 21°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 18 to Oct 2 — about 2.5 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
Jul20Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct20Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Loulé 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 Loulé 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
Location & terrain

Where is Loulé?

Loulé sits at 37.1°N, 8.0°W, 186 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Quarteira, 10 km away.

Topography around Loulé

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Loulé has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 280 m around an average of 185 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 539 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 894 m.

The land around Loulé is covered by grassland (48%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, grassland (29%), trees (26%) and shrubs (25%) within 16 km, and water (35%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
280 m
16 km
539 m
80 km
894 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Quarteira 10 km · Faro 16 km · Quelfes 20 km · Olhão 20 km · Laranjeiro 20 km · Albufeira 21 km · Tavira 33 km · Portimão 46 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 Loulé (37.1377°, -8.0197°, elevation 186 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).