Mindelo weather in December

In December, Mindelo sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1.4 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mindelo's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mindelo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
6th warmest
Overnight low
21°
6th coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1.4 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:06 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
48%
10th clearest
Wind
28 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Mindelo is second largest city of Cape Verde.

Density
1,030/km²
people per km²
Founded
1793

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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mindelo reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12322
22322
32322
42322
52322
62222
72222
82222
92222
102222
112221
122221
132221
142221
152221
162221
172221
182221
192221
202221
212221
222221
232221
242221
252221
262221
272221
282121
292121
302121
312121

Mindelo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 20°51.111.18.0
Feb20° / 19°30.911.48.0
Mar20° / 19°10.311.98.2
Apr21° / 20°10.212.48.2
May21° / 21°10.112.88.5
Jun22° / 21°00.2138.6
Jul23° / 22°40.912.98.5
Aug24° / 24°193.612.68.2
Sep25° / 24°384.912.17.9
Oct25° / 24°201.811.68.4
Nov24° / 23°71.111.28.4
Dec22° / 21°61.4118.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
26040
36040
46139
56139
66040
76040
86040
96040
106040
116040
126139
136139
146040
156040
166040
176139
186139
196139
206040
216040
226040
236040
246139
256139
266139
276238
286139
296238
306238
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mindelo gets around 6 mm of rain over 1.4 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 5% and peaks near 5% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
35
45
54
64
74
84
94
104
114
124
134
144
154
165
175
185
195
205
215
225
235
245
255
265
275
284
294
304
314

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 33% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1542504
2542494
3643473
4645463
5746443
6847432
7849412
8950402
9952381
101052371
111053361
121054351
131156330
141157320
151158310
161258300
171259290
181358290
191359280
201360270
211360270
221460260
231460260
241461250
251561240
261562230
271661230
281662220
291762210
301763200
311863190

Wind in December

Winds average 28 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 27 km/h on the calmest days to 30 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
127breezy
227breezy
327breezy
427breezy
527breezy
627breezy
727breezy
827breezy
927breezy
1027breezy
1127breezy
1227breezy
1327breezy
1427breezy
1527breezy
1628breezy
1728breezy
1828breezy
1928breezy
2028breezy
2128breezy
2228breezy
2328breezy
2428breezy
2529breezy
2629breezy
2729breezy
2829windy
2929windy
3030windy
3130windy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:58 AM to 7:13 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:586:02
211.16:586:02
311.16:596:02
411.06:596:02
511.07:006:02
611.07:016:03
711.07:016:03
811.07:026:03
911.07:026:04
1011.07:036:04
1111.07:036:04
1211.07:046:05
1311.07:056:05
1411.07:056:05
1511.07:066:06
1611.07:066:06
1711.07:076:06
1811.07:076:07
1911.07:086:07
2011.07:086:08
2111.07:096:08
2211.07:096:09
2311.07:106:09
2411.07:106:10
2511.07:116:10
2611.07:116:11
2711.07:116:11
2811.07:126:12
2911.07:126:12
3011.07:136:13
3111.07:136:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.59 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.59 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mindelo

In seasonPeak

None of Mindelo's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Mindelo sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Mindelo sees seasonal dust haze (May–October), heaviest in June.

Atlantic hurricane
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Mindelo?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Mindelo for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Mindelo in December

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

In December, Mindelo sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 21°C. Worth packing: light clothes, sun protection and a windbreaker.

light clothessun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Mindelo in December

The nearest coast averages about 24°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 27°C and coldest in February near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr23Refreshing
May23Refreshing
Jun24Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mindelo in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mindelo peaks around May 18 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highExtremeVery highHighMay 18UV 12Dec 19UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Very high
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Mindelo 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 Mindelo is worst in December — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.9× the cleanest month (May, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateModeratePoorDec 2356 µg/m³May 1112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan53Poor
Feb39Poor
Mar23Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May11Good
Jun23Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec56Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mindelo?

Mindelo sits at 16.9°N, 25.0°W, 44 m above sea level, in Cabo Verde. The nearest listed city is Espargos, 217 km away.

EspargosAssomadaPraia

Topography around Mindelo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mindelo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 273 m around an average of 55 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 704 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,966 m.

The land around Mindelo is covered by bare terrain (47%), water (26%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (73%) and bare terrain (23%) within 16 km, and water (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
273 m
16 km
704 m
80 km
1,966 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Espargos 217 km · Assomada 243 km · Praia 268 km · Dakar 842 km · Le Plateau 844 km · Guédiawaye 844 km · Pikine 846 km · N’diareme limamoulaye 846 km

Cabo Verde travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 48% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,796
2025
Homicide rate
7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 73%none 16%Protestant 4%Christian Rationalism 2%

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 Mindelo (16.8901°, -24.9804°, 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. 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).