Kananga weather in December

In December, Kananga sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 159 mm of rain across 22.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of December to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kananga's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kananga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
11th warmest
Overnight low
21°
5th coldest
Rainfall
159 mm
22.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:16 AM – 6:37 PM
Cloud cover
84%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Kananga is capital city of the Kasai-Central Province in DRC and capital of the former Kasaï-Occidental Province.

Density
1,679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1884

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kananga reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12921
22921
32921
42921
52921
62921
72921
82921
92921
102921
112921
122921
132921
142921
152921
162921
172921
182921
192921
202921
212921
222921
232921
242921
252921
262921
272921
282921
292921
302921
312921

How December really feels in Kananga

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.

Kananga weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 21°13119.512.34.0
Feb30° / 21°1271812.23.7
Mar30° / 21°17622.2123.5
Apr30° / 21°17822.111.93.5
May31° / 21°6411.811.74.5
Jun31° / 20°102.211.75.2
Jul32° / 20°61.311.75.0
Aug31° / 21°521011.84.6
Sep30° / 21°13619.8123.8
Oct29° / 21°18124.812.13.4
Nov29° / 20°18624.912.33.5
Dec29° / 21°15922.312.33.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 88%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11387
21288
31288
41288
51288
61288
71288
81189
91189
101189
111189
121189
131189
141189
151189
161189
171189
181288
191288
201288
211288
221387
231387
241387
251288
261288
271387
281387
291387
301486
311486

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kananga gets around 159 mm of rain over 22.3 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 72% and peaks near 78% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
178
278
378
477
577
676
776
875
975
1074
1174
1274
1374
1473
1573
1672
1772
1871
1971
2070
2170
2269
2369
2469
2569
2669
2769
2869
2969
3068
3168

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 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
14060
24060
34159
44159
54258
64258
74357
84357
94357
104456
114456
124456
134456
144456
154456
164456
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224357
234357
244258
254258
264159
274060
284060
293961
303862
313862

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of December to 12 h 18 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 6:11 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:116:30
212.36:116:30
312.36:116:31
412.36:126:31
512.36:126:31
612.36:126:32
712.36:136:32
812.36:136:33
912.36:136:33
1012.36:146:34
1112.36:146:34
1212.36:156:35
1312.36:156:35
1412.36:156:36
1512.36:166:36
1612.36:166:37
1712.36:176:37
1812.36:176:38
1912.36:186:38
2012.36:186:39
2112.36:196:39
2212.36:196:40
2312.36:206:40
2412.36:206:41
2512.36:206:41
2612.36:216:41
2712.36:216:42
2812.36:226:42
2912.36:226:43
3012.36:236:43
3112.36:236:44

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.55 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kananga?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kananga.

What to pack for Kananga in December

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

In December, Kananga sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kananga in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kananga peaks around March 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 12 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighExtremeMar 18UV 15Aug 12UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul6High
Aug5Moderate
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Kananga 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 Kananga is worst in August — around 134 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (November, 19 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyModerateAug 13128 µg/m³Nov 2019 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb36Poor
Mar22Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May38Poor
Jun59Unhealthy
Jul102Unhealthy
Aug134Unhealthy
Sep45Poor
Oct23Moderate
Nov19Moderate
Dec20Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kananga?

Kananga sits at 5.9°S, 22.4°E, 643 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Demba, 47 km away.

LueboMbuji-MayiMwekaLusamboMwene-Ditu

Topography around Kananga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kananga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 m around an average of 612 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 200 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 467 m.

The land around Kananga is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, trees (34%), shrubs (30%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) within 80 km.

3 km
92 m
16 km
200 m
80 km
467 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Demba 47 km · Kabeya-Kamwanga 93 km · Miabi 114 km · Luebo 126 km · Mbuji-Mayi 132 km · Mweka 150 km · Lusambo 153 km · Mwene-Ditu 169 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 Kananga (-5.8962°, 22.4166°, elevation 643 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).