Ponce weather in December

In December, Ponce sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 28 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ponce's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponce's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
9th warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
28 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:55 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
43%
3rd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Ponce is historic district in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Founded
1646

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ponce reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12723
22723
32723
42723
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132722
142722
152622
162622
172622
182622
192622
202622
212622
222622
232622
242622
252622
262622
272622
282622
292622
302622
312622

How December really feels in Ponce

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.

Ponce weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 22°227117.5
Feb26° / 22°216.411.47.5
Mar26° / 22°368.811.97.1
Apr27° / 22°5411.912.46.4
May27° / 23°8615.612.85.6
Jun28° / 24°4812.713.15.7
Jul29° / 24°5511.8135.6
Aug29° / 25°7715.412.65.0
Sep28° / 24°12418.912.14.6
Oct28° / 24°10519.611.65.0
Nov27° / 23°7614.411.25.9
Dec26° / 22°287.610.97.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 19%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27822
37921
47921
57921
68020
78020
88020
98020
108020
118020
128119
138119
148020
158119
168119
178119
188020
198020
208020
218119
228119
238119
248119
258317
268317
278317
288416
298515
308515
318614

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ponce gets around 28 mm of rain over 7.6 wet days in December. 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 32% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
231
330
429
528
628
727
827
926
1026
1125
1225
1325
1424
1524
1624
1724
1823
1923
2023
2123
2223
2322
2422
2521
2621
2721
2821
2921
3021
3122

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 62% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 94% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
144650
244748
344946
445145
545343
645442
755441
855540
955639
1055738
1155837
1255936
1365935
1466034
1566133
1666232
1766331
1866430
1966430
2066529
2166628
2266727
2366826
2467024
2567123
2667222
2767420
2867519
2967618
3067717
3167915

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 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 6:46 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:465:46
211.06:475:46
311.06:485:47
411.06:485:47
511.06:495:47
611.06:495:47
711.06:505:47
811.06:505:48
910.96:515:48
1010.96:525:48
1110.96:525:49
1210.96:535:49
1310.96:535:49
1410.96:545:50
1510.96:545:50
1610.96:555:50
1710.96:555:51
1810.96:565:51
1910.96:565:52
2010.96:575:52
2110.96:575:53
2210.96:585:53
2310.96:585:54
2410.96:595:54
2510.96:595:55
2610.97:005:55
2710.97:005:56
2810.97:005:56
2910.97:015:57
3010.97:015:57
3110.97:025:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.52 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 4.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ponce

In seasonPeak

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

Ponce sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Ponce's rainy season runs August–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Ponce sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Ponce?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Ponce for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ponce in December

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

In December, Ponce sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Ponce in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 15 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Ponce in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ponce peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 7 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 15UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Ponce 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 Ponce is worst in July — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1025 µg/m³Jan 15 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar7Good
Apr8Good
May15Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ponce?

Ponce sits at 18.0°N, 66.6°W, 15 m above sea level, in Puerto Rico. The nearest listed city is Yauco, 24 km away.

YaucoLa PargueraSan GermánManatíCayeyBarcelonetaAreciboGuayama

Topography around Ponce

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponce has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 178 m around an average of 33 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,046 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,307 m.

The land around Ponce is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (37%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
178 m
16 km
1,046 m
80 km
1,307 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Yauco 24 km · La Parguera 45 km · San Germán 45 km · Manatí 48 km · Cayey 50 km · Barceloneta 50 km · Arecibo 52 km · Guayama 54 km

Puerto Rico travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 78% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$40,620
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2015
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
14.6
per 100k, 2023
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 56%Protestant 33%none 7%other 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 Ponce (18.0103°, -66.624°, elevation 15 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. 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).