Francistown weather in December

In December, Francistown sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 96 mm of rain across 12.8 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of December to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Francistown's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Francistown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:28 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
61%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Francistown is city in northern Botswana.

Founded
1897

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 31°C through the month.

A typical December day in Francistown reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23120
33020
43020
53020
63020
73020
83020
93020
103020
113020
123020
133020
143020
153020
163120
173120
183120
193120
203120
213120
223120
233120
243120
253120
263120
273120
283120
293120
303120
313120

How December really feels in Francistown

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Francistown weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 20°9511.713.14.6
Feb30° / 20°879.512.74.9
Mar30° / 19°456.812.15.8
Apr28° / 16°112.511.57.4
May26° / 11°40.9118.9
Jun24° / 40.510.79.3
Jul23° / 40.410.89.2
Aug27° / 11°10.111.39.0
Sep30° / 15°61.111.96.6
Oct32° / 18°153.412.55.0
Nov32° / 20°559.3134.3
Dec31° / 20°9612.813.34.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44555
54555
64555
74555
84654
94654
104654
114753
124852
134852
144852
154951
164951
175050
184951
194951
204852
214852
224753
234753
244753
254654
264654
274654
284555
294555
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Francistown gets around 96 mm of rain over 12.8 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 40% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
239
339
440
541
642
742
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1342
1442
1541
1640
1740
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2440
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3139

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 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 24% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
126253514
225243515
324243516
423243517
522243619
621243620
720243621
819243622
918243623
1017243624
1116243624
1215243625
1314243625
1414243725
1514243725
1613243725
1713243725
1813243725
1913243725
2013243726
2113243726
2212243727
2312243727
2412243728
2511233729
2611233629
2711233630
2812233630
2912233530
3012223530
3113223430

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of December to 13 h 18 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 5:24 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:246:36
213.25:246:36
313.25:246:37
413.25:246:37
513.25:246:38
613.25:256:39
713.25:256:39
813.25:256:40
913.35:256:41
1013.35:266:41
1113.35:266:42
1213.35:266:42
1313.35:276:43
1413.35:276:43
1513.35:276:44
1613.35:286:45
1713.35:286:45
1813.35:286:46
1913.35:296:46
2013.35:296:47
2113.35:306:47
2213.35:306:48
2313.35:316:48
2413.35:316:49
2513.35:326:49
2613.35:326:49
2713.35:336:50
2813.35:336:50
2913.35:346:51
3013.35:346:51
3113.35:356:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 6.38 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Francistown?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Francistown for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Francistown in December

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

In December, Francistown sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Francistown 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 Francistown peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jun 20UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Francistown?

Francistown sits at 21.2°S, 27.5°E, 989 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Tonota, 31 km away.

TutumeSelebi-PhikweBobonongGwandaPalapyeSeroweBulawayo

Topography around Francistown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Francistown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 993 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 588 m.

The land around Francistown is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), shrubs (25%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, shrubs (74%) within 16 km, and shrubs (75%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
138 m
80 km
588 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Tonota 31 km · Tutume 90 km · Selebi-Phikwe 96 km · Bobonong 131 km · Gwanda 158 km · Palapye 158 km · Serowe 158 km · Bulawayo 159 km

Botswana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,778
2025
Happiness
3.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
63%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
11.4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
26.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 79%none 15%Badimo 4%other 1%

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 Francistown (-21.17°, 27.5078°, elevation 989 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).