Wollongong city centre weather in December

In December, Wollongong city centre sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 72 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Wollongong city centre's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wollongong city centre's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
9th coldest
Rainfall
72 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:44 AM – 8:01 PM
Cloud cover
54%
11th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical December day in Wollongong city centre reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12118
22118
32118
42118
52118
62118
72118
82118
92118
102118
112118
122118
132118
142118
152119
162119
172119
182119
192219
202219
212219
222219
232219
242219
252219
262219
272219
282219
292219
302219
312219

Wollongong city centre weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 20°8410.7146.7
Feb23° / 20°11612.313.36.4
Mar22° / 19°11013.812.36.3
Apr20° / 18°9511.611.26.3
May18° / 15°989.910.26.1
Jun16° / 14°12310.59.75.3
Jul16° / 12°668.19.95.4
Aug16° / 13°636.710.75.8
Sep17° / 14°597.611.86.2
Oct19° / 15°739.712.96.3
Nov20° / 17°8510.613.86.2
Dec21° / 19°7211.414.36.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25347
35347
45347
55446
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145248
155248
165248
175248
185248
195248
205347
215347
225347
235446
245446
255446
265545
275545
285545
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Wollongong city centre gets around 72 mm of rain over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
438
538
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1337
1437
1537
1638
1738
1838
1938
2037
2137
2236
2336
2435
2535
2635
2734
2834
2934
3034
3133

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 21% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1253033120
2253033130
3252933130
4242933140
5242933140
6232933150
7232933150
8222833160
9222834160
10212834170
11212734170
12202734180
13202735190
14192735200
15182635200
16182634210
17172634220
18172634230
19172634240
20162634240
21162533250
22162533250
23152533261
24152533261
25152533271
26142433271
27132433281
28132434281
29132434291
30122334291
31122334301

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820breezy
2920breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:42 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 7:50 PM to 8:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:427:50
214.25:427:51
314.25:427:52
414.25:427:53
514.25:427:54
614.25:427:54
714.25:427:55
814.25:427:56
914.25:427:57
1014.25:427:57
1114.35:437:58
1214.35:437:59
1314.35:437:59
1414.35:438:00
1514.35:448:01
1614.35:448:01
1714.35:448:02
1814.35:458:02
1914.35:458:03
2014.35:458:04
2114.35:468:04
2214.35:468:05
2314.35:478:05
2414.35:478:05
2514.35:488:06
2614.35:488:06
2714.35:498:07
2814.35:498:07
2914.35:508:07
3014.35:518:08
3114.35:518:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.37 kWh/m² to a high of 6.8 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.77 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.0Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.1Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Wollongong city centre

In seasonPeak

In December, Wollongong city centre sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Wollongong city centre sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

Is December a good time to visit Wollongong city centre?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Wollongong city centre for sightseeing.

What to pack for Wollongong city centre in December

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

In December, Wollongong city centre sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Wollongong city centre in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 22 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in August near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 25 to May 27 — about 6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar23Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May21Refreshing
Jun19Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct19Cool
Nov20Cool
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Wollongong city centre 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 Wollongong city centre peaks around January 1 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateVery highExtremeJan 1UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Wollongong city centre 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 Wollongong city centre is worst in December — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.8× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 1830 µg/m³Jun 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul7Good
Aug8Good
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec32Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Wollongong city centre?

Wollongong city centre sits at 34.4°S, 150.9°E, 10 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Wollongong, 0.0 km away.

Topography around Wollongong city centre

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wollongong city centre has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 578 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,069 m.

The land around Wollongong city centre is covered by artificial surfaces (33%), water (33%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
578 m
80 km
1,069 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Wollongong 0.0 km · Engadine 42 km · Cronulla 47 km · Miranda 47 km · Casula 53 km · Prestons 54 km · Hurstville 55 km · Kogarah 56 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 Wollongong city centre (-34.4279°, 150.8927°, elevation 10 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).