Massawa weather in December

In December, Massawa sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 85 mm of rain across 13 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Massawa's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Massawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
23°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
13 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:46 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
47%
10th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Massawa is city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea.

Density
48/km²
people per km²

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Massawa reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 2°C warmer than January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12824
22824
32824
42724
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132723
142723
152723
162723
172723
182623
192623
202623
212623
222623
232622
242622
252622
262622
272622
282622
292622
302622
312622

How December really feels in Massawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Massawa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 22°10916.511.25.8
Feb25° / 22°6412.611.56.2
Mar27° / 23°337.811.97.0
Apr30° / 25°164.312.36.0
May33° / 27°51.312.74.7
Jun35° / 29°10.112.93.3
Jul36° / 30°5112.82.5
Aug36° / 30°50.912.52.5
Sep35° / 29°20.412.13.5
Oct32° / 27°184.511.65.0
Nov29° / 25°497.411.36.1
Dec27° / 23°851311.16.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27426
37426
47327
57327
67228
77228
87129
97030
106931
116931
126832
136733
146733
156634
166634
176634
186634
196535
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256436
266337
276337
286238
296139
306040
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Massawa gets around 85 mm of rain over 13 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 43% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
238
338
439
540
641
742
843
944
1045
1146
1246
1347
1447
1547
1647
1746
1846
1945
2045
2144
2243
2343
2442
2542
2641
2741
2842
2942
3043
3144

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 91% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1064351
2064351
3064450
4074449
5074549
6074648
7074647
8074746
9074945
10075043
11075142
12075340
13075439
14075637
15075835
16085933
17185932
18186130
19196228
20196426
211106524
221106623
231116622
241116721
251126720
261126819
271136818
281136818
291136917
301136917
311146916

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 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 grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:38 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:385:46
211.16:385:46
311.16:395:46
411.16:395:47
511.16:405:47
611.16:405:47
711.16:415:47
811.16:425:48
911.16:425:48
1011.16:435:48
1111.16:435:49
1211.16:445:49
1311.16:445:49
1411.16:455:50
1511.16:455:50
1611.16:465:51
1711.16:465:51
1811.16:475:51
1911.16:475:52
2011.16:485:52
2111.16:485:53
2211.16:495:53
2311.16:495:54
2411.16:505:54
2511.16:505:55
2611.16:515:55
2711.16:515:56
2811.16:525:56
2911.16:525:57
3011.16:525:57
3111.16:535:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.4Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.3Bright
294.3Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Massawa

In seasonPeak

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

Massawa sees seasonal dust haze (May–September), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Massawa?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Massawa for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Massawa in December

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

In December, Massawa sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 23°C. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Massawa in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in September at about 32°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°34°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun31Tropical
Jul32Tropical
Aug32Tropical
Sep32Tropical
Oct32Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Massawa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Massawa peaks around April 11 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highVery highHighApr 11UV 12Dec 13UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Massawa 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 Massawa is worst in May — around 94 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 23 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyUnhealthyModerateMay 1292 µg/m³Dec 2023 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar47Poor
Apr83Unhealthy
May94Unhealthy
Jun47Poor
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug94Unhealthy
Sep79Unhealthy
Oct64Unhealthy
Nov33Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Massawa?

Massawa sits at 15.6°N, 39.5°E, 9 m above sea level, in Eritrea. The nearest listed city is Asmara, 65 km away.

AsmaraMendeferaKerenĀdīgratIntich’oIdaga HamusAdwaAksum

Topography around Massawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Massawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 320 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,874 m.

The land around Massawa is covered by water (76%) within 3 km, water (48%) and bare terrain (45%) within 16 km, and water (39%) and bare terrain (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
10 m
16 km
320 m
80 km
2,874 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Asmara 65 km · Mendefera 107 km · Keren 111 km · Ādīgrat 148 km · Intich’o 152 km · Idaga Hamus 158 km · Adwa 172 km · Aksum 184 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 Massawa (15.6081°, 39.4746°, elevation 9 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).