Palmerston weather in December

In December, Palmerston sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 332 mm of rain across 25.3 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. 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 Palmerston's 10th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
12th coldest
Rainfall
332 mm
25.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
6:20 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
78%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Palmerston is planned satellite city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
637/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical December day in Palmerston reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13425
23425
33425
43425
53425
63425
73425
83425
93425
103425
113325
123325
133325
143325
153325
163325
173325
183325
193325
203325
213325
223325
233325
243325
253225
263225
273225
283225
293225
303225
313225

How December really feels in Palmerston

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.

Palmerston weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 25°43928.312.72.2
Feb32° / 25°39325.912.42.3
Mar33° / 25°30423.712.12.5
Apr33° / 23°1009.511.73.3
May33° / 21°152.611.44.3
Jun32° / 19°20.411.35.3
Jul32° / 18°10.211.35.3
Aug33° / 19°10.211.64.5
Sep35° / 22°122.711.93.1
Oct35° / 24°589.312.32.4
Nov35° / 25°17519.312.62.1
Dec33° / 25°33225.312.72.2

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 76%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23862
33763
43763
53565
63565
73268
83268
93169
102971
112971
122872
132773
142575
152377
162278
172179
182080
192080
201882
211783
221783
231684
241684
251585
261585
271486
281585
291486
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Palmerston gets around 332 mm of rain over 25.3 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 81% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
174
274
374
474
575
675
776
876
977
1078
1179
1279
1380
1481
1581
1682
1782
1883
1984
2084
2185
2285
2386
2486
2586
2686
2787
2887
2987
3088
3188

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 78% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
113861
213762
313564
413366
513267
613069
702971
802773
902674
1002575
1102476
1202377
1302278
1402179
1502080
1602080
1701981
1801882
1901783
2001783
2101684
2201585
2301585
2401486
2501486
2601387
2701387
2801288
2901288
3001288
3101189

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 6:15 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.76:156:56
212.76:166:57
312.76:166:57
412.76:166:58
512.76:166:58
612.76:176:59
712.76:176:59
812.76:177:00
912.76:187:00
1012.76:187:01
1112.76:187:02
1212.76:197:02
1312.76:197:03
1412.76:207:03
1512.76:207:04
1612.76:207:04
1712.76:217:05
1812.76:217:05
1912.76:227:06
2012.76:227:06
2112.76:237:07
2212.76:237:07
2312.76:237:08
2412.76:247:08
2512.76:247:08
2612.76:257:09
2712.76:257:09
2812.76:267:10
2912.76:267:10
3012.76:277:11
3112.76:277:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Palmerston

In seasonPeak

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

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

Palmerston'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 Palmerston?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palmerston.

What to pack for Palmerston in December

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

In December, Palmerston sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Palmerston 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 at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) 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 Palmerston 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 Palmerston 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 Palmerston 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 Palmerston is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (March, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Palmerston's WHO annual average of 9.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1918 µg/m³Mar 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr8Good
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston?

Palmerston sits at 12.5°S, 131.0°E, 36 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Darwin, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Palmerston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Palmerston is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (49%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
57 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Darwin 16 km · Lospalos 620 km · Venilale 660 km · Baucau 666 km · Suai 718 km · Aileu 725 km · Atsabe 727 km · Dili 735 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 Palmerston (-12.486°, 130.9833°, elevation 36 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).