Darwin weather in December

In December, Darwin sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 323 mm of rain across 24.9 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 32°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Darwin's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Darwin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
7th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
323 mm
24.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
6:21 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
78%
10th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Darwin is capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia, and the surrounding area.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.1 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,443/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

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 32°C through the month.

A typical December day in Darwin reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13326
23326
33326
43326
53326
63326
73226
83226
93226
103226
113226
123226
133226
143226
153226
163226
173226
183226
193226
203226
213226
223226
233226
243226
253126
263126
273126
283126
293126
303126
313126

How December really feels in Darwin

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
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
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.

Darwin weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 26°43827.612.72.6
Feb31° / 26°37625.612.42.6
Mar32° / 25°30024.412.12.7
Apr33° / 24°10010.111.73.4
May33° / 22°142.411.44.2
Jun32° / 20°20.411.35.2
Jul32° / 19°10.311.35.3
Aug33° / 19°20.511.64.7
Sep34° / 22°163.811.93.6
Oct34° / 24°7611.212.33.0
Nov33° / 25°18020.812.62.6
Dec32° / 26°32324.912.72.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 75%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23862
33862
43763
53664
63466
73367
83268
93169
103070
112872
122773
132773
142674
152575
162377
172278
182179
192080
201981
211981
221882
231783
241783
251684
261684
271684
281585
291486
301387
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Darwin gets around 323 mm of rain over 24.9 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 80% and peaks near 86% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
175
275
375
475
575
675
776
876
977
1077
1178
1279
1379
1480
1580
1681
1781
1881
1982
2082
2183
2283
2384
2484
2585
2685
2785
2886
2986
3086
3186

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the miserable band about 91% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
111980
211782
311683
411584
501486
601387
701288
801189
901090
100991
110991
120892
130892
140793
150793
160793
170793
180793
190694
200694
210694
220694
230694
240694
250694
260694
270694
280694
290595
300595
310595

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 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 6:16 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 6:57 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:166:57
212.76:166:57
312.76:166:58
412.76:176:58
512.76:176:59
612.76:176:59
712.76:187:00
812.76:187:00
912.76:187:01
1012.76:197:02
1112.76:197:02
1212.76:197:03
1312.76:207:03
1412.76:207:04
1512.76:217:04
1612.76:217:05
1712.76:217:05
1812.76:227:06
1912.76:227:06
2012.76:237:07
2112.76:237:07
2212.76:247:08
2312.76:247:08
2412.76:257:09
2512.76:257:09
2612.76:267:09
2712.76:267:10
2812.76:277:10
2912.76:277:11
3012.76:287:11
3112.76:287:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Darwin

In seasonPeak

In December, Darwin sits inside its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Darwin sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Darwin's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cyclone
Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Darwin?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Darwin.

What to pack for Darwin in December

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

In December, Darwin sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Darwin in December

The nearest coast averages about 31°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 December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Darwin in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Darwin peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Darwin 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 Darwin is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (March, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Darwin's WHO annual average of 9.1 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1416 µg/m³Mar 185 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar5Good
Apr6Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Darwin?

Darwin sits at 12.5°S, 130.8°E, 31 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Palmerston, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Darwin

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Darwin has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 227 m.

The land around Darwin is covered by water (62%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and trees (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
51 m
80 km
227 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Palmerston 16 km · Lospalos 607 km · Venilale 647 km · Baucau 653 km · Suai 703 km · Aileu 710 km · Atsabe 713 km · Dili 721 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 Darwin (-12.4611°, 130.8418°, elevation 31 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).