Mount Isa weather in December

In December, Mount Isa sees average daytime highs of 36°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 62 mm of rain across 7.5 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 36°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of December to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mount Isa's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mount Isa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
36°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
11th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
7.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
6:01 AM – 7:16 PM
Cloud cover
43%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
7.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Mount Isa is city in Queensland, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM10 29.5 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
1923

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 36°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mount Isa reaches about 36°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 40°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C warmer than January.

20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13723
23723
33724
43724
53724
63724
73724
83724
93724
103624
113624
123624
133624
143624
153624
163624
173624
183624
193624
203624
213624
223624
233624
243624
253624
263624
273624
283624
293624
303624
313624

How December really feels in Mount Isa

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.

Mount Isa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 24°10410.113.12.4
Feb35° / 24°878.912.72.8
Mar34° / 22°614.512.13.5
Apr32° / 19°141.311.55.3
May27° / 15°71118.2
Jun25° / 11°60.810.89.2
Jul25° / 10°20.510.99.4
Aug27° / 12°20.411.38.8
Sep31° / 16°60.911.95.9
Oct34° / 20°121.812.53.8
Nov36° / 22°275132.5
Dec36° / 24°627.513.22.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18317
28317
38119
48119
58020
67921
77822
87723
97624
107426
117327
127228
137129
147030
156931
166832
176832
186733
196733
206634
216634
226535
236535
246535
256535
266535
276436
286436
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mount Isa gets around 62 mm of rain over 7.5 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 31% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
419
520
620
720
821
921
1022
1122
1223
1323
1424
1525
1625
1725
1826
1926
2027
2127
2228
2328
2428
2529
2629
2729
2830
2930
3031
3131

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 29% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1531514144
2521514154
3521514154
4511515154
5511515154
6511515154
7501515155
8491515155
9481515166
10461515167
11451516178
12431516179
134215161810
144015171810
153914171811
163814171912
173614181913
183514181914
193414182014
203414182015
213314182015
223214182016
233114182016
243114182017
253114182017
263015182017
273015181918
283015181918
292915181819
302916181820
312916181720

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light 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
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of December to 13 h 12 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 5:57 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 7:07 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:577:07
213.25:577:07
313.25:577:08
413.25:577:09
513.25:577:09
613.25:587:10
713.25:587:11
813.25:587:11
913.25:587:12
1013.25:597:12
1113.25:597:13
1213.25:597:13
1313.26:007:14
1413.26:007:15
1513.26:007:15
1613.36:017:16
1713.36:017:16
1813.36:017:17
1913.36:027:17
2013.36:027:18
2113.36:037:18
2213.36:037:19
2313.36:047:19
2413.36:047:20
2513.36:057:20
2613.36:057:21
2713.36:067:21
2813.36:067:21
2913.26:077:22
3013.26:077:22
3113.26:087:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.41 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 7.16 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
67.4Intense
77.4Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.2Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.1Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Mount Isa?

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

2.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mount Isa.

What to pack for Mount Isa in December

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

In December, Mount Isa sees daytime highs around 36°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Mount Isa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mount Isa peaks around February 8 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 8UV 16Jun 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mount Isa 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 Mount Isa is worst in October — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (March, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateOct 1525 µg/m³Mar 1011 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr17Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec24Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mount Isa?

Mount Isa sits at 20.7°S, 139.5°E, 363 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Alice Springs, 666 km away.

Alice SpringsKirwanTownsvilleCairnsPort DouglasAirlie BeachUluruMackay

Topography around Mount Isa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mount Isa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 m around an average of 364 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 m.

The land around Mount Isa is covered by grassland (33%), artificial surfaces (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
243 m
16 km
341 m
80 km
433 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Alice Springs 666 km · Kirwan 771 km · Townsville 781 km · Cairns 783 km · Port Douglas 786 km · Airlie Beach 961 km · Uluru 1,005 km · Mackay 1,005 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 Mount Isa (-20.7252°, 139.4973°, elevation 363 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).