Kipushi weather in December

In December, Kipushi sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 255 mm of rain across 28.5 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-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 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kipushi's 10th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kipushi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
8th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
255 mm
28.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:47 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
85%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Kipushi is localite, capital of the territory of the Haut-Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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 Kipushi reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192517
202517
212517
222517
232517
242517
252517
262517
272517
282517
292517
302517
312517

Kipushi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 17°29028.812.63.7
Feb26° / 17°23624.912.43.9
Mar26° / 17°20224.412.14.5
Apr26° / 16°45811.76.9
May26° / 15°30.811.58.4
Jun25° / 12°0011.39.2
Jul25° / 12°0011.49.3
Aug28° / 14°0011.68.3
Sep30° / 17°30.811.96.2
Oct31° / 19°315.612.35.1
Nov28° / 18°15220.512.54.3
Dec26° / 17°25528.512.73.7

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 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 90%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21684
31684
41585
51585
61387
71387
81288
91189
101090
111090
12991
13892
14892
15793
16793
17793
18793
19793
20793
21793
22793
23793
24793
25793
26793
27793
28793
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kipushi gets around 255 mm of rain over 28.5 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 92% and peaks near 94% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
287
388
489
589
690
791
891
992
1092
1193
1293
1393
1494
1594
1694
1794
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
3093
3193

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 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 26% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1157321
2157321
3157321
4147421
5147322
6137422
7137422
8027622
9027622
10027622
11027523
12017623
13017524
14017524
15017425
16017425
17017326
18017227
19017227
20027028
21026929
22026929
23026830
24016930
25016831
26016831
27016831
28016831
29016831
30016831
31016831

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 42 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 5:42 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 6:20 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:426:20
212.65:426:20
312.65:426:21
412.75:426:22
512.75:436:22
612.75:436:23
712.75:436:23
812.75:446:24
912.75:446:24
1012.75:446:25
1112.75:456:25
1212.75:456:26
1312.75:456:26
1412.75:466:27
1512.75:466:27
1612.75:476:28
1712.75:476:28
1812.75:476:29
1912.75:486:29
2012.75:486:30
2112.75:496:30
2212.75:496:31
2312.75:506:31
2412.75:506:32
2512.75:516:32
2612.75:516:33
2712.75:526:33
2812.75:526:33
2912.75:536:34
3012.75:536:34
3112.75:546:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.91 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.28 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kipushi

In seasonPeak

In December, Kipushi sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kipushi's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Kipushi?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kipushi.

What to pack for Kipushi in December

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

In December, Kipushi sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Kipushi 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 Kipushi peaks around January 21 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 21UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Kipushi 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 Kipushi is worst in August — around 83 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.3× the cleanest month (April, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyPoorModerateAug 1481 µg/m³Apr 1411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul68Unhealthy
Aug83Unhealthy
Sep57Unhealthy
Oct37Poor
Nov16Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kipushi?

Kipushi sits at 11.8°S, 27.3°E, 1,348 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Lubumbashi, 27 km away.

KamboveChambishi

Topography around Kipushi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kipushi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 1,331 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 445 m.

The land around Kipushi is covered by cropland (36%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and grassland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
210 m
80 km
445 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
December weather nearby: Lubumbashi 27 km · Chililabombwe 91 km · Kansanshi 97 km · Likasi 103 km · Solwezi 104 km · Chingola 110 km · Kambove 122 km · Chambishi 130 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 Kipushi (-11.761°, 27.2513°, elevation 1,348 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).