Alice Springs weather in December

In December, Alice Springs sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 38 mm of rain across 4.8 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Alice Springs's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alice Springs's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
22°
10th coldest
Rainfall
38 mm
4.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:47 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
39%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Alice Springs is city in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Density
174/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 35°C through the month.

A typical December day in Alice Springs reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 40°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13521
23521
33521
43521
53521
63521
73521
83521
93521
103521
113521
123521
133521
143522
153522
163522
173522
183522
193522
203522
213522
223522
233522
243522
253522
263522
273622
283622
293622
303622
313622

How December really feels in Alice Springs

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Alice Springs weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 2nd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 23°414.113.32.4
Feb35° / 22°404.212.83.0
Mar33° / 19°192.212.24.6
Apr29° / 14°151.411.57.3
May23° / 171.910.98.7
Jun20° / 91.510.68.1
Jul20° / 81.110.78.5
Aug23° / 40.911.29.2
Sep28° / 12°71.411.97.8
Oct31° / 16°162.512.65.6
Nov34° / 19°203.913.13.8
Dec35° / 22°384.813.42.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27723
37723
47624
57426
67426
77327
87228
97129
107030
117030
127030
136832
146832
156931
166931
176931
186931
197030
207030
217129
227228
237327
247327
257426
267525
277624
287723
297921
307921
318020

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Alice Springs gets around 38 mm of rain over 4.8 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 15% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
113
213
313
414
514
614
715
815
916
1016
1116
1217
1317
1417
1518
1618
1718
1817
1917
2017
2116
2216
2315
2415
2514
2613
2713
2812
2911
3011
3110

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 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
17811830
27712830
37712830
47612930
57512940
67413940
77413940
873131040
972131050
1072131050
1172131050
1271131060
1370131061
1469131161
1569131161
1668131171
1768131171
1869121171
1968121172
2069121162
2169121162
2270111162
2370111162
2471111062
2571111062
2671111062
277311952
287311952
297311952
307411852
317411852

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 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:44 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 7:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:447:05
213.45:447:06
313.45:447:06
413.45:447:07
513.45:447:08
613.45:447:08
713.45:447:09
813.45:457:09
913.45:457:10
1013.45:457:11
1113.45:457:11
1213.45:467:12
1313.45:467:13
1413.45:467:13
1513.55:477:14
1613.55:477:14
1713.55:477:15
1813.55:487:15
1913.55:487:16
2013.55:497:16
2113.55:497:17
2213.55:507:17
2313.55:507:18
2413.55:517:18
2513.55:517:19
2613.55:527:19
2713.55:527:19
2813.55:537:20
2913.55:537:20
3013.45:547:21
3113.45:547:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.44 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.93 kWh/m² to a high of 7.7 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 7.44 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.4Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.6Intense
237.6Intense
247.7Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
298.0Intense
308.0Intense
318.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Alice Springs?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alice Springs. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Alice Springs in December

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

In December, Alice Springs sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Alice Springs in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alice Springs peaks around January 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 15Jun 22UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec15Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Alice Springs?

Alice Springs sits at 23.7°S, 133.9°E, 583 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Uluru, 339 km away.

UluruMount IsaWhyallaBroken HillPalmerstonDarwinGawlerParalowie

Topography around Alice Springs

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alice Springs has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 83 m around an average of 591 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 406 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 819 m.

The land around Alice Springs is covered by grassland (36%), artificial surfaces (31%) and shrubs (26%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and shrubs (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (50%) and shrubs (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
83 m
16 km
406 m
80 km
819 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Uluru 339 km · Mount Isa 666 km · Whyalla 1,098 km · Broken Hill 1,182 km · Palmerston 1,284 km · Darwin 1,290 km · Gawler 1,301 km · Paralowie 1,312 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

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 Alice Springs (-23.6975°, 133.8836°, elevation 583 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).