Avarua weather in December

In December, Avarua sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 189 mm of rain across 14.5 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Avarua's 10th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Avarua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
189 mm
14.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:57 AM – 7:14 PM
Cloud cover
67%
10th clearest
Wind
24 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Avarua is capital city of the Cook Islands.

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Avarua reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12524
22524
32524
42524
52524
62524
72524
82624
92624
102624
112624
122624
132624
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192625
202625
212625
222625
232625
242625
252625
262625
272625
282625
292625
302625
312625

Avarua weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°21318.113.15.3
Feb27° / 25°1781712.75.1
Mar27° / 25°18618.612.15.3
Apr26° / 25°1531511.55.8
May25° / 24°12512.7116.3
Jun24° / 23°648.210.77.1
Jul23° / 22°989.210.87.1
Aug23° / 22°728.311.37.1
Sep23° / 22°738.411.97.1
Oct24° / 23°878.812.57.0
Nov25° / 24°10810.7136.6
Dec26° / 25°18914.513.35.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
63862
73763
83862
93862
103961
113961
123961
133961
144060
154159
164258
174258
184357
194357
204357
214357
224258
234258
244060
254060
263961
273862
283763
293565
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Avarua gets around 189 mm of rain over 14.5 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 47% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
245
345
445
545
645
745
845
944
1044
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1844
1944
2045
2146
2247
2348
2449
2551
2652
2754
2855
2956
3057
3158

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 63% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 92% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
121025621
221025621
321025621
42925631
52925631
62926621
72926621
82826622
92827612
101827622
111827622
121727632
131728622
141728622
151728622
161728622
171728622
181728622
191729612
200729622
210729622
220729622
230628642
240628642
250627652
260627643
271526653
281525663
290525673
300424693
310424684

Wind in December

Winds average 24 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2224breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

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 5:53 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:537:05
213.25:537:05
313.25:537:06
413.25:537:07
513.25:547:07
613.25:547:08
713.25:547:09
813.25:547:09
913.35:547:10
1013.35:557:10
1113.35:557:11
1213.35:557:12
1313.35:567:12
1413.35:567:13
1513.35:567:13
1613.35:577:14
1713.35:577:14
1813.35:587:15
1913.35:587:15
2013.35:587:16
2113.35:597:16
2213.35:597:17
2313.36:007:17
2413.36:007:18
2513.36:017:18
2613.36:017:19
2713.36:027:19
2813.36:027:19
2913.36:037:20
3013.36:037:20
3113.36:047:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.56 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.44 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.56 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Avarua?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Avarua for sightseeing.

What to pack for Avarua in December

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

In December, Avarua sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Avarua in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 14 km away) is warmest in March at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul25Warm
Aug24Warm
Sep24Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Avarua 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 Avarua peaks around February 13 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 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 highExtremeFeb 13UV 16Jul 10UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Avarua?

Avarua sits at 21.2°S, 159.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in Cook Islands. The nearest listed city is Bora Bora, 994 km away.

Topography around Avarua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Avarua has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m around an average of 65 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 478 m.

The land around Avarua is covered by trees (49%) and water (41%) within 3 km, water (92%) within 16 km, and water (98%) within 80 km.

3 km
440 m
16 km
495 m
80 km
478 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Bora Bora 994 km · Alofi 1,086 km · Moorea 1,120 km · Punaauia 1,138 km · Faaa 1,141 km · Papeete 1,146 km · Pago Pago 1,389 km · Apia 1,512 km

Cook Islands travel facts

Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Religion
Protestant 55%Roman Catholic 17%none/unspecified 16%other 5%

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 Avarua (-21.2075°, -159.7755°, elevation 7 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).