El Tunco weather in December
December in El Tunco: sweltering, dry, with clean air — fine if you can take 35°C afternoons.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#3 of 12 months in El Tunco · #14 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 93/100 (tier S)
- Days
- 31°C
- Nights
- 23°C
- Wet days
- 2
- Sun
- 10.3 h
- Humidity
- 68%
- Daylight
- 11 h
Traveller notes on El Tunco in December
El Tunco-focused surf guides call December and January the pick of the year: the region's soggier months have just ended, so it's dry-season sunshine and low crowds by Central American standards, with swell still consistent enough to keep the reef breaks at El Sunzal working most days. Waves run a touch smaller than the peak swell months, but clean rather than blown-out, and the water stays warm enough that a rash guard covers it for most visitors. The trade-off for the good weather is a busier stretch right around Christmas and New Year, when domestic tourists from San Salvador fill the town's hostels and beachfront bars. Outside that holiday spike, regulars describe December as close to the year's most reliable combination of sun, manageable waves, and thin crowds. The record: 30.9C days feeling like a sticky 35C, 23.1C nights, just 9.2mm across 2.2 days, a 29C sea, 68 percent humidity and 10.3 hours of sun.
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El Tunco climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in El Tunco in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Busyschool holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for El Tunco's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Best weatherEl Tunco's weather peaks December–February, best around January.
December includes Sea turtle hatchling releases.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in El Tunco in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Sea turtle hatchling releases
1 Jul – 15 Dec · usuallyTurtle nestingOlive ridleys nest along the La Libertad coast in the second half of the year, and the hatcheries near El Tunco and El Zonte let visitors join the evening release of hatchlings. September to November is the busiest stretch. Source ↗
- Season
Dry season
1 Nov – 15 Apr · usuallyThe rain stops and the waves drop to a size beginners can handle, which is when surf schools do their best business. Outside Christmas and Easter the town is at its most relaxed.
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of El Tunco — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is El Tunco?
El Tunco in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit El Tunco?
- December in El Tunco: sweltering, dry, with clean air — fine if you can take 35°C afternoons. It ranks #3 of 12 months for El Tunco on SeasonMap's comfort score (93/100).
- What is the weather like in El Tunco in December?
- In December, El Tunco averages a daily high of 30.9°C and a low of 23.1°C, with about 9.2 mm of rain over roughly 2.2 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in El Tunco in December?
- El Tunco has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 37 in December.
Within 300 km: Antigua Guatemala's Quema del Diablo on 7 Dec, and Lake Atitlán's Santo Tomas at Chichicastenango on 13–21 Dec.