Kikwit weather in December

In December, Kikwit sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 148 mm of rain across 23.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-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 3% 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 Kikwit's 9th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kikwit's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
11th warmest
Overnight low
21°
5th coldest
Rainfall
148 mm
23.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:32 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
81%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Kikwit is city in Congo-Kinshasa.

Density
5,537/km²
people per km²
Founded
1970

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 Kikwit reaches about 30°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 27°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13021
23021
33021
43021
53021
63021
73021
83021
93021
103021
113021
123021
133021
143021
153021
163021
173021
183021
193021
203021
213021
223021
233021
243021
253021
263021
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How December really feels in Kikwit

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.

Kikwit weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°11619.312.33.6
Feb31° / 22°11116.612.23.5
Mar31° / 22°13320.5123.3
Apr31° / 22°16623.511.93.1
May31° / 22°8315.611.84.0
Jun31° / 21°133.511.75.0
Jul32° / 21°72.311.74.8
Aug32° / 22°411011.84.1
Sep31° / 22°10618.9123.5
Oct30° / 21°16725.512.13.2
Nov30° / 21°17924.912.23.2
Dec30° / 21°14823.412.33.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21783
31684
41684
51684
61585
71585
81585
91585
101486
111486
121486
131486
141486
151486
161486
171486
181387
191486
201486
211585
221585
231585
241684
251684
261684
271684
281783
291783
301783
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kikwit gets around 148 mm of rain over 23.4 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 75% and peaks near 80% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
180
280
380
480
580
680
779
879
978
1078
1177
1277
1376
1476
1575
1675
1774
1874
1974
2073
2173
2273
2372
2472
2572
2671
2771
2870
2970
3069
3169

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 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1496
2496
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10595
11595
12595
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21595
22496
23496
24496
25496
26496
27496
28595
29595
30595
31595

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 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
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
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 5:26 AM to 5:39 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:265:43
212.35:275:43
312.35:275:44
412.35:275:44
512.35:285:44
612.35:285:45
712.35:285:45
812.35:295:46
912.35:295:46
1012.35:305:47
1112.35:305:47
1212.35:305:48
1312.35:315:48
1412.35:315:49
1512.35:325:49
1612.35:325:50
1712.35:335:50
1812.35:335:51
1912.35:345:51
2012.35:345:52
2112.35:345:52
2212.35:355:52
2312.35:355:53
2412.35:365:53
2512.35:365:54
2612.35:375:54
2712.35:375:55
2812.35:385:55
2912.35:385:56
3012.35:395:56
3112.35:395:57

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 4.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.56 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

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
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
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 Kikwit?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kikwit.

What to pack for Kikwit in December

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

In December, Kikwit sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kikwit in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kikwit peaks around March 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 14 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateExtremeMar 14UV 14Aug 14UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug4Moderate
Sep10Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Kikwit 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 Kikwit is worst in August — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.2× the cleanest month (November, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyUnhealthyModerateAug 13157 µg/m³Nov 1714 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar25Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May61Unhealthy
Jun136Unhealthy
Jul117Unhealthy
Aug166Very unhealthy
Sep36Poor
Oct17Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kikwit?

Kikwit sits at 5.0°S, 18.8°E, 466 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Bulungu, 60 km away.

MangaiDibaya-LubweDunguIleboBandundu Province

Topography around Kikwit

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kikwit has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 426 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 307 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 500 m.

The land around Kikwit is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), grassland (34%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%), trees (29%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
307 m
80 km
500 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Bulungu 60 km · Idiofa 86 km · Masi-Manimba 107 km · Mangai 138 km · Dibaya-Lubwe 152 km · Dungu 158 km · Ilebo 211 km · Bandundu Province 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 Kikwit (-5.041°, 18.8162°, elevation 466 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).