Pakenham weather in December

In December, Pakenham sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 76 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of December to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Pakenham's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pakenham's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
12°
9th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:55 AM – 8:33 PM
Cloud cover
60%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Pakenham is suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical December day in Pakenham reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12211
22211
32211
42211
52211
62211
72211
82311
92311
102311
112311
122311
132311
142311
152311
162312
172312
182312
192312
202312
212412
222412
232412
242412
252412
262412
272412
282412
292412
302412
312413

Pakenham weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 13°607.614.37.3
Feb25° / 14°53713.57.3
Mar23° / 12°477.612.37.3
Apr19° / 10°638.8116.2
May16° / 6711.2104.6
Jun13° / 70129.43.4
Jul12° / 7013.19.63.0
Aug13° / 8714.610.53.4
Sep16° / 9214.211.74.3
Oct18° / 8613.2135.4
Nov21° / 10°8110.914.16.2
Dec23° / 12°769.914.66.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44456
54456
64456
74555
84456
94456
104555
114555
124555
134456
144357
154456
164357
174357
184357
194357
204357
214357
224357
234456
244456
254456
264555
274654
284753
294753
304753
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Pakenham gets around 76 mm of rain over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
834
934
1034
1133
1233
1333
1433
1532
1632
1732
1832
1931
2031
2131
2230
2330
2429
2529
2629
2728
2828
2928
3028
3127

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 78% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1831340
2831340
3831340
4831340
5831340
6831340
7831340
8831340
9821440
10821440
11821440
12821440
13801550
14801550
15801550
16791650
17791650
18791650
19771760
20771760
21771760
22761860
23761860
24751960
25751960
26732061
27732061
28722161
29722161
30712261
31702361

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of December to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 8:21 PM to 8:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:548:21
214.55:548:22
314.55:548:23
414.55:548:24
514.55:548:25
614.55:548:26
714.55:548:27
814.65:548:27
914.65:548:28
1014.65:548:29
1114.65:548:30
1214.65:548:30
1314.65:558:31
1414.65:558:32
1514.65:558:33
1614.65:558:33
1714.65:568:34
1814.65:568:34
1914.65:568:35
2014.65:578:35
2114.65:578:36
2214.65:588:36
2314.65:588:37
2414.65:598:37
2514.65:598:38
2614.66:008:38
2714.66:008:38
2814.66:018:39
2914.66:028:39
3014.66:028:39
3114.66:038:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 7.21 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.9Intense
96.9Intense
106.9Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
137.0Intense
147.0Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.1Intense
197.1Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.2Intense
257.3Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Pakenham?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Pakenham for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pakenham in December

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

In December, Pakenham sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Pakenham in December

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 31 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 11°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 18 to Mar 11 — about 1.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Cool
Apr18Cool
May15Cool
Jun13Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug11Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Pakenham in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pakenham peaks around December 20 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateVery highExtremeDec 20UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Pakenham?

Pakenham sits at 38.1°S, 145.5°E, 44 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Officer, 6.0 km away.

Topography around Pakenham

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pakenham has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 146 m around an average of 43 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 380 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,619 m.

The land around Pakenham is covered by artificial surfaces (43%), grassland (28%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (37%), trees (32%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and trees (37%), grassland (30%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
146 m
16 km
380 m
80 km
1,619 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Officer 6.0 km · Berwick 12 km · Cranbourne North 15 km · Narre Warren 16 km · Narre Warren South 16 km · Cranbourne East 16 km · Cranbourne 17 km · Cranbourne West 18 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 Pakenham (-38.0702°, 145.4741°, elevation 44 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).