Basankusu weather in December

In December, Basankusu sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 86 mm of rain across 15.2 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of December to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Basankusu's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Basankusu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
6th warmest
Overnight low
22°
7th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
5:39 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
70%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Basankusu is city.

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Basankusu reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C cooler than January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13022
23022
33022
43022
53022
63022
73022
83022
93022
103022
113022
123022
133022
143022
153022
163022
173022
183022
193022
203022
213022
223022
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How December really feels in Basankusu

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Basankusu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 22°6611.211.94.3
Feb32° / 23°10013.8123.6
Mar31° / 23°15720.2123.2
Apr31° / 23°15321.6123.3
May30° / 23°12321.312.13.5
Jun30° / 22°10519.412.14.0
Jul29° / 22°13120.812.14.0
Aug29° / 22°18525.1123.5
Sep29° / 22°19025.2123.3
Oct29° / 22°19726.5123.2
Nov29° / 22°16723.411.93.5
Dec30° / 22°8615.211.94.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33169
43169
53268
63268
73268
83367
93367
103367
113466
123565
133565
143466
153565
163565
173565
183565
193565
203565
213565
223565
233664
243565
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Basankusu gets around 86 mm of rain over 15.2 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 49% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
166
265
364
463
562
661
760
859
957
1056
1154
1253
1351
1450
1548
1647
1746
1844
1943
2042
2141
2240
2340
2439
2539
2638
2738
2838
2937
3037
3137

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 90% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 99% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
100955
200964
300964
401954
501954
601954
702953
802953
902953
1003943
1103943
1204924
1304924
1404924
1504924
1605905
1705905
1806895
1906895
2007885
2107885
2207885
2307885
2418874
2518874
2618874
2719864
2829863
29210853
30311833
31311833

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of December to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:46 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:335:29
211.95:335:29
311.95:335:29
411.95:345:30
511.95:345:30
611.95:355:30
711.95:355:31
811.95:355:31
911.95:365:32
1011.95:365:32
1111.95:375:33
1211.95:375:33
1311.95:385:33
1411.95:385:34
1511.95:395:34
1611.95:395:35
1711.95:405:35
1811.95:405:36
1911.95:405:36
2011.95:415:37
2111.95:415:37
2211.95:425:38
2311.95:425:38
2411.95:435:39
2511.95:435:39
2611.95:445:40
2711.95:445:40
2811.95:455:40
2911.95:455:41
3011.95:465:41
3111.95:465:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.79 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.29 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Basankusu?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Basankusu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Basankusu in December

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

In December, Basankusu sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Basankusu in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Basankusu peaks around April 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highApr 11UV 13Jun 23UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Basankusu 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 Basankusu is worst in February — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.2× the cleanest month (October, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModerateFeb 1543 µg/m³Oct 1011 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb44Poor
Mar32Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov16Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Basankusu?

Basankusu sits at 1.2°N, 19.8°E, 336 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Binga, 150 km away.

BingaImpfondoBoendeMbandakaLisalaBolengeGemenaBétou

Topography around Basankusu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Basankusu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 334 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 85 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 146 m.

The land around Basankusu is covered by trees (73%) within 3 km, trees (95%) within 16 km, and trees (97%) within 80 km.

3 km
43 m
16 km
85 m
80 km
146 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Binga 150 km · Impfondo 199 km · Boende 206 km · Mbandaka 215 km · Lisala 217 km · Bolenge 222 km · Gemena 226 km · Bétou 249 km

Democratic Republic of the Congo travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$807
2025
Happiness
3.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
12%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
34.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 400

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 Basankusu (1.2209°, 19.8021°, elevation 336 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).