Asmara weather in December

In December, Asmara sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 36 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Asmara's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Asmara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
11th warmest
Overnight low
12°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
36 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:48 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Asmara is capital city of Eritrea.

Density
46/km²
people per km²
Founded
1897

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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Asmara reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12313
22313
32313
42312
52212
62212
72212
82212
92212
102212
112212
122212
132212
142212
152212
162212
172212
182212
192212
202212
212212
222212
232212
242212
252212
262212
272212
282212
292212
302211
312211

Asmara weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 12°4912.911.26.5
Feb23° / 12°349.311.57.1
Mar25° / 14°4812.211.96.8
Apr26° / 15°6316.112.36.1
May27° / 16°4710.812.76.8
Jun28° / 16°398.312.96.3
Jul26° / 16°18227.312.84.2
Aug26° / 17°21126.912.54.3
Sep27° / 16°386.112.17.5
Oct25° / 14°285.711.78.1
Nov23° / 13°328.411.37.6
Dec22° / 12°3610.911.16.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 33% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28119
38119
48119
58020
68020
78020
87921
97822
107723
117723
127723
137624
147624
157624
167624
177723
187723
197723
207723
217723
227822
237822
247822
257921
267921
277921
287921
297921
307921
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Asmara gets around 36 mm of rain over 10.9 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
435
535
636
736
837
937
1037
1138
1238
1338
1438
1537
1637
1737
1836
1936
2036
2135
2235
2334
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2935
3036
3137

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 58% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
146531
246531
346531
447521
547521
648511
748511
849501
949501
1050491
1151481
1251481
1352471
1453461
1554451
1655441
1757421
1859410
1960400
2062380
2163370
2264360
2366340
2467330
2569310
2670300
2772280
2873270
2974260
3074260
3175250

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 11 h 12 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:395:49
211.16:405:49
311.16:415:49
411.16:415:49
511.16:425:50
611.16:425:50
711.16:435:50
811.16:435:50
911.16:445:51
1011.16:445:51
1111.16:455:51
1211.16:455:52
1311.16:465:52
1411.16:475:52
1511.16:475:53
1611.16:485:53
1711.16:485:54
1811.16:495:54
1911.16:495:55
2011.16:505:55
2111.16:505:55
2211.16:515:56
2311.16:515:56
2411.16:515:57
2511.16:525:57
2611.16:525:58
2711.16:535:58
2811.16:535:59
2911.16:545:59
3011.16:546:00
3111.16:546:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.05 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.05 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Asmara

In seasonPeak

None of Asmara's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Asmara's rainy season runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Asmara sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Asmara?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Asmara for sightseeing.

What to pack for Asmara in December

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

In December, Asmara sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Asmara in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Asmara peaks around April 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 highApr 12UV 15Dec 13UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Asmara 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 Asmara is worst in June — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1227 µg/m³Dec 1519 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Asmara?

Asmara sits at 15.3°N, 38.9°E, 2,334 m above sea level, in Eritrea. The nearest listed city is Mendefera, 52 km away.

MendeferaMassawaKerenIntich’oAdwaĀdīgratAksumIdaga Hamus

Topography around Asmara

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Asmara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 125 m around an average of 2,341 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,574 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,865 m.

The land around Asmara is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and cropland (29%) within 3 km, cropland (32%), grassland (31%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%), shrubs (29%) and bare terrain (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
125 m
16 km
1,574 m
80 km
2,865 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Mendefera 52 km · Massawa 65 km · Keren 71 km · Intich’o 120 km · Adwa 131 km · Ādīgrat 131 km · Aksum 137 km · Idaga Hamus 145 km

Eritrea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / L
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2021
GDP per capita
$689
2011
Homicide rate
15.6
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
37.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank

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 Asmara (15.3381°, 38.9318°, elevation 2,334 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).