Matadi weather in December

In December, Matadi sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 175 mm of rain across 22.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-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 1% 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 Matadi's 10th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matadi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
23°
8th coldest
Rainfall
175 mm
22.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
5:52 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
84%
10th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

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 Matadi reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 31°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)
12923
22923
32923
42923
52923
62923
72923
82923
92923
102923
112923
122923
132923
142923
152923
162923
172923
182923
192923
202923
212923
222923
232923
242923
252923
262923
272923
282923
292923
302923
312923

How December really feels in Matadi

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.

Matadi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°14920.412.33.8
Feb30° / 23°11917.612.23.7
Mar30° / 23°13419.1123.6
Apr30° / 23°19321.811.93.4
May29° / 23°681211.75.3
Jun27° / 20°20.311.77.7
Jul26° / 18°20.111.77.9
Aug25° / 19°50.811.87.5
Sep27° / 20°123.2126.9
Oct28° / 22°6311.812.15.3
Nov29° / 23°14921.812.33.7
Dec29° / 23°17522.412.33.7

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 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11090
21090
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9892
10892
11892
12892
13892
14892
15892
16892
17892
18892
19892
20892
21892
22892
23892
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Matadi gets around 175 mm of rain over 22.4 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 72% and peaks near 75% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
175
275
375
475
574
674
774
873
973
1073
1173
1273
1373
1473
1572
1672
1772
1872
1972
2072
2172
2272
2372
2471
2571
2671
2771
2870
2970
3070
3170

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 (%)Miserable (%)
16940
26940
35950
45950
54951
64951
74951
84951
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
184951
194951
204951
214951
225941
235941
245941
255941
266922
276922
286922
296922
306922
316922

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 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 5:46 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:466:05
212.35:476:06
312.35:476:06
412.35:476:07
512.35:486:07
612.35:486:08
712.35:496:08
812.35:496:09
912.35:496:09
1012.35:506:10
1112.35:506:10
1212.35:506:10
1312.35:516:11
1412.35:516:11
1512.35:526:12
1612.35:526:12
1712.35:536:13
1812.35:536:13
1912.35:546:14
2012.35:546:14
2112.35:546:15
2212.35:556:15
2312.35:556:16
2412.35:566:16
2512.35:566:17
2612.35:576:17
2712.35:576:18
2812.35:586:18
2912.35:586:18
3012.35:596:19
3112.35:596:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.22 kWh/m² to a high of 4.98 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Matadi

In seasonPeak

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

Matadi's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Matadi?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Matadi.

What to pack for Matadi in December

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

In December, Matadi sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 22 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

UV index in Matadi 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 Matadi peaks around March 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 19 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeMar 15UV 15Jul 19UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep10Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Matadi 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 Matadi is worst in July — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (November, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateJul 2338 µg/m³Nov 1911 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul38Poor
Aug38Poor
Sep28Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Matadi?

Matadi sits at 5.8°S, 13.5°E, 183 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Kenge, 23 km away.

MoandaSoyo

Topography around Matadi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matadi has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 504 m around an average of 191 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 544 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 702 m.

The land around Matadi is covered by artificial surfaces (67%) within 3 km, grassland (62%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and trees (43%) within 80 km.

3 km
504 m
16 km
544 m
80 km
702 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kenge 23 km · Boma 45 km · Mbanza Kongo 98 km · Tombôco 108 km · Tshela 110 km · Kimpese 112 km · Moanda 121 km · Soyo 125 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 Matadi (-5.8386°, 13.4631°, elevation 183 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).