Portimão weather in December

In December, Portimão sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 75 mm of rain across 8.1 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 16°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 Portimão's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Portimão's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
75 mm
8.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
7:47 AM – 5:14 PM
Cloud cover
53%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Portimão is city seat of Portimão municipality.

Air quality
Moderate
PM10 31.5 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 Portimão reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
3169
4169
5169
6169
7169
8169
9168
10168
11168
12168
13168
14168
15168
16168
17168
18168
19168
20168
21168
22168
23158
24158
25158
26158
27158
28158
29158
30158
31158

Portimão 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
Jan15° / 5079.75.0
Feb16° / 476.110.65.5
Mar18° / 567.711.76.5
Apr20° / 11°497.512.96.8
May23° / 13°356147.8
Jun27° / 16°71.614.58.1
Jul30° / 17°10.414.36.8
Aug30° / 18°30.613.46.6
Sep27° / 17°223.612.37.6
Oct23° / 14°667.8117.3
Nov18° / 10°627.7106.4
Dec16° / 758.19.55.2

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55446
65347
75347
85347
95248
105248
115149
125149
135149
145050
155149
165149
175149
185050
195050
205149
215149
225050
235050
245050
255050
265050
275149
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Portimão gets around 75 mm of rain over 8.1 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
425
524
624
724
824
924
1025
1125
1226
1326
1427
1527
1627
1728
1828
1929
2029
2129
2229
2329
2429
2529
2628
2728
2828
2928
3028
3127

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
188111
289101
389101
489101
589101
689101
789101
889101
989101
1089101
1189101
1289101
1389101
149091
159091
169091
179091
189091
199091
209181
219181
229181
239181
249091
259091
269091
279091
289091
299091
3089101
3189101

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light 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 7:35 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 5:13 PM to 5:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.67:355:13
29.67:365:13
39.67:375:13
49.67:385:13
59.67:385:13
69.67:395:13
79.57:405:13
89.57:415:13
99.57:425:13
109.57:425:13
119.57:435:13
129.57:445:13
139.57:455:13
149.57:455:14
159.57:465:14
169.57:475:14
179.57:475:14
189.57:485:15
199.47:485:15
209.47:495:16
219.47:495:16
229.47:505:16
239.47:505:17
249.47:515:17
259.47:515:18
269.57:515:19
279.57:525:19
289.57:525:20
299.57:525:20
309.57:535:21
319.57:535:22

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 7.89 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
142.3Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.2Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.2Moderate
212.2Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.3Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Portimão?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Portimão for sightseeing.

What to pack for Portimão in December

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

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

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Portimão 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 September at about 20°C and coldest in February near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb15Cool
Mar15Cool
Apr16Cool
May17Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Cool
Sep20Refreshing
Oct19Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Portimão 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 Portimão 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 Portimão?

Portimão sits at 37.1°N, 8.5°W, 13 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Lagos, 13 km away.

Topography around Portimão

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Portimão has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 68 m around an average of 19 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 309 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 894 m.

The land around Portimão is covered by grassland (33%), artificial surfaces (33%) and water (20%) within 3 km, water (36%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and water (48%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
68 m
16 km
309 m
80 km
894 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Lagos 13 km · Porto de Mós 14 km · Albufeira 26 km · Quarteira 40 km · Loulé 46 km · Faro 56 km · Olhão 63 km · Quelfes 64 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 Portimão (37.1386°, -8.5378°, elevation 13 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).