Kolwezi weather in December

In December, Kolwezi sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 195 mm of rain across 27.3 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% 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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kolwezi's 11th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolwezi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
11th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
195 mm
27.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:56 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
87%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Kolwezi is city of Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Density
3,710/km²
people per km²
Founded
1937

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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kolwezi reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 27°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)
12618
22618
32618
42518
52518
62518
72518
82518
92518
102518
112518
122518
132518
142518
152518
162518
172518
182518
192518
202518
212518
222518
232518
242518
252518
262518
272518
282518
292518
302518
312518

Kolwezi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 18°22227.412.63.9
Feb25° / 18°18423.312.44.1
Mar26° / 18°16424.512.14.4
Apr26° / 17°449.611.86.6
May27° / 17°30.811.58.3
Jun26° / 15°0011.48.9
Jul26° / 14°0011.49.0
Aug29° / 17°00.111.67.5
Sep30° / 19°10211.95.9
Oct29° / 19°6112.112.25.0
Nov27° / 18°15824.212.54.2
Dec25° / 18°19527.312.63.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 93%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5892
6892
7793
8793
9694
10694
11694
12694
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21595
22595
23595
24694
25694
26694
27694
28694
29694
30694
31595

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kolwezi gets around 195 mm of rain over 27.3 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 88% and peaks near 89% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
388
488
588
688
789
889
989
1089
1189
1289
1389
1489
1589
1689
1789
1888
1988
2088
2187
2287
2387
2487
2587
2687
2787
2887
2988
3088
3188

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 94% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12944
22944
31954
41954
51963
61963
71963
81963
91963
101963
111963
121963
131954
141954
151954
161954
171945
181945
191945
201945
211936
221936
231936
241927
250937
260928
270928
280928
290928
300919
310919

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of December to 12 h 36 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 5:50 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:506:25
212.65:516:26
312.65:516:26
412.65:516:27
512.65:526:27
612.65:526:28
712.65:526:28
812.65:526:29
912.65:536:29
1012.65:536:30
1112.65:546:30
1212.65:546:31
1312.65:546:31
1412.65:556:32
1512.65:556:33
1612.65:566:33
1712.65:566:34
1812.65:566:34
1912.65:576:34
2012.65:576:35
2112.65:586:35
2212.65:586:36
2312.65:596:36
2412.65:596:37
2512.66:006:37
2612.66:006:38
2712.66:016:38
2812.66:016:39
2912.66:026:39
3012.66:026:39
3112.66:036:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 4.93 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kolwezi

In seasonPeak

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

Kolwezi'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 Kolwezi?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kolwezi.

What to pack for Kolwezi in December

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

In December, Kolwezi sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Kolwezi in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kolwezi peaks around February 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 highExtremeFeb 15UV 15Jun 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Kolwezi 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 Kolwezi is worst in August — around 92 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 11.4× the cleanest month (April, 8 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyModerateGoodAug 1689 µg/m³Apr 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar9Good
Apr8Good
May20Moderate
Jun55Unhealthy
Jul70Unhealthy
Aug92Unhealthy
Sep66Unhealthy
Oct27Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kolwezi?

Kolwezi sits at 10.7°S, 25.5°E, 1,485 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Fungurume, 94 km away.

KamboveLikasiChisasaMwinilungaBukamaManyama

Topography around Kolwezi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolwezi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m around an average of 1,465 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 304 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 964 m.

The land around Kolwezi is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, grassland (38%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (68%) within 80 km.

3 km
190 m
16 km
304 m
80 km
964 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Fungurume 94 km · Malemba 107 km · Kambove 125 km · Likasi 142 km · Chisasa 155 km · Mwinilunga 160 km · Bukama 173 km · Manyama 183 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 Kolwezi (-10.7148°, 25.4667°, elevation 1,485 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).