Gaborone weather in December

In December, Gaborone sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 85 mm of rain across 12.1 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-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 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gaborone's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gaborone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
1st warmest
Overnight low
20°
10th coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:27 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
52%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Gaborone is capital city of Botswana.

Density
1,458/km²
people per km²
Founded
1965

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 Gaborone 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 26°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13119
23119
33119
43119
53119
63120
73120
83120
93120
103120
113120
123120
133120
143120
153120
163120
173120
183120
193120
203120
213120
223120
233120
243120
253120
263120
273120
283120
293120
303120
313120

Gaborone weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 21°8912.313.44.5
Feb30° / 20°829.812.94.9
Mar29° / 18°598.412.25.9
Apr27° / 15°304.511.47.8
May24° / 10°141.710.89.1
Jun22° / 91.210.58.9
Jul22° / 20.510.69.0
Aug25° / 30.711.19.3
Sep29° / 14°101.511.87.3
Oct31° / 18°335.712.65.4
Nov31° / 19°6810.113.24.6
Dec31° / 20°8512.113.54.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36238
46238
56238
66337
76337
86436
96436
106436
116535
126535
136634
146634
156634
166535
176535
186535
196436
206436
216436
226238
236238
246139
256139
266139
276139
286139
296139
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Gaborone gets around 85 mm of rain over 12.1 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 38% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
537
638
738
838
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2139
2239
2340
2440
2541
2641
2741
2841
2940
3040
3140

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 37% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 9% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13333313
23233324
33033324
42933334
52833354
62733364
72633374
82533375
92434385
102334385
112234395
122134396
132035396
142035397
151935387
161935388
171836388
181836389
1918353710
2017353711
2117353712
2216343713
2316333814
2415323814
2515313915
2615303916
2715303916
2814294017
2914284017
3015284018
3115274018

Wind in December

Winds average 10 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
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 30 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 5:34 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:246:49
213.45:246:49
313.45:246:50
413.45:246:51
513.55:246:51
613.55:246:52
713.55:246:53
813.55:256:53
913.55:256:54
1013.55:256:55
1113.55:256:55
1213.55:266:56
1313.55:266:56
1413.55:266:57
1513.55:276:58
1613.55:276:58
1713.55:276:59
1813.55:286:59
1913.55:287:00
2013.55:297:00
2113.55:297:01
2213.55:297:01
2313.55:307:02
2413.55:307:02
2513.55:317:03
2613.55:317:03
2713.55:327:03
2813.55:337:04
2913.55:337:04
3013.55:347:04
3113.55:347:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.87 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 6.85 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gaborone?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Gaborone in December

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

In December, Gaborone sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Gaborone 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 Gaborone peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 14Jun 16UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Gaborone 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 Gaborone is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1917 µg/m³Dec 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr13Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gaborone?

Gaborone sits at 24.7°S, 25.9°E, 1,011 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Mogoditshane, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Gaborone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gaborone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m around an average of 1,001 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 409 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 626 m.

The land around Gaborone is covered by artificial surfaces (72%) within 3 km, shrubs (47%) within 16 km, and shrubs (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
49 m
16 km
409 m
80 km
626 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Mogoditshane 5.0 km · Tlokweng 7.0 km · Mmopone 10 km · Gabane 13 km · Ramotswa 24 km · Mochudi 36 km · Thamaga 37 km · Molepolole 50 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 Gaborone (-24.6545°, 25.9086°, elevation 1,011 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).