El Escorial weather in December

In December, El Escorial sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 47 mm of precipitation across 7.1 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 9°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 18 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is El Escorial's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Escorial's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
47 mm
7.1 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
8:39 AM – 5:46 PM
Cloud cover
59%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

El Escorial is human settlement in El Escorial, Community of Madrid, Spain.

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 9°C through the month.

A typical December day in El Escorial reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°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)
1103
2102
392
492
592
692
792
892
992
1092
1192
1292
1392
1492
1592
1692
1792
1892
1992
2092
2192
2291
2391
2491
2591
2691
2791
2891
2981
3081
3181

How December really feels in El Escorial

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

El Escorial weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 437.72.89.41.6
Feb10° / 356.32.310.42.6
Mar14° / 457.81.511.74.3
Apr16° / 509.30.6135.2
May20° / 10°498.8014.26.7
Jun26° / 14°225014.87.5
Jul30° / 17°102.2014.66.1
Aug30° / 17°122.9013.66.4
Sep25° / 13°244.8012.37.9
Oct18° / 597.7010.96.1
Nov12° / 5580.79.73.3
Dec / 477.11.39.21.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24555
34357
44357
54357
64357
74258
84258
94357
104456
114456
124456
134555
144555
154555
164555
174555
184654
194555
204654
214654
224654
234753
244654
254654
264753
274753
284753
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

El Escorial gets around 47 mm of rain and snow over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1254
2244
3244
4244
5244
6244
7234
8234
9234
10224
11224
12224
13214
14213
15213
16213
17213
18213
19213
20213
21223
22223
23223
24233
25234
26244
27244
28244
29254
30255
31265

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 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 18 min at the start of December to 9 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 8:27 AM to 8:46 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.38:275:46
29.38:285:45
39.38:295:45
49.38:305:45
59.28:315:45
69.28:325:45
79.28:325:45
89.28:335:45
99.28:345:45
109.28:355:45
119.28:365:45
129.18:375:45
139.18:375:45
149.18:385:46
159.18:395:46
169.18:395:46
179.18:405:46
189.18:415:47
199.18:415:47
209.18:425:47
219.18:425:48
229.18:435:48
239.18:435:49
249.18:445:49
259.18:445:50
269.18:445:50
279.18:455:51
289.18:455:52
299.18:455:52
309.18:455:53
319.18:465:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.84 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.84 kWh/m² to a high of 7.76 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.84 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
31.9Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
81.9Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.8Dim
121.8Dim
131.8Dim
141.8Dim
151.8Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
301.9Dim
311.9Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit El Escorial?

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

1.9
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 El Escorial.

What to pack for El Escorial in December

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

In December, El Escorial sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in El Escorial 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 El Escorial peaks around July 15 at about 10 (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 15UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb2Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in El Escorial 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 El Escorial is worst in August — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (July, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1714 µg/m³Jul 139 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May9Good
Jun11Good
Jul8Good
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is El Escorial?

El Escorial sits at 40.6°N, 4.1°W, 917 m above sea level, in Spain. The nearest listed city is San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 2.0 km away.

Topography around El Escorial

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Escorial has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 544 m around an average of 956 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,332 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,027 m.

The land around El Escorial is covered by trees (54%) and grassland (33%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and trees (44%) within 16 km, and grassland (38%), cropland (32%) and trees (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
544 m
16 km
1,332 m
80 km
2,027 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: San Lorenzo de El Escorial 2.0 km · Galapagar 10 km · Collado-Villalba 12 km · Torrelodones 17 km · Villanueva del Pardillo 17 km · Villanueva de la Cañada 18 km · Las Rozas de Madrid 24 km · Majadahonda 25 km

Spain travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$38,627
2025
Happiness
6.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Roman Catholic 58%atheist 16%agnostic 11%non-believer 11%

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 El Escorial (40.5825°, -4.1285°, elevation 917 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).