Debre Birhan weather in December

In December, Debre Birhan sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 17 mm of rain across 4 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Debre Birhan's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Debre Birhan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
8th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:35 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
37%
2nd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Debre Birhan is city in Ethiopia.

Density
9,986/km²
people per km²
Founded
1456

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 19°C through the month.

A typical December day in Debre Birhan reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1197
2197
3197
4197
5197
6197
7197
8197
9197
10197
11197
12197
13197
14197
15197
16197
17197
18197
19197
20197
21197
22197
23197
24197
25197
26197
27197
28197
29197
30197
31197

Debre Birhan weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 498.411.56.6
Feb20° / 569.211.76.6
Mar21° / 15215.511.95.8
Apr21° / 10°1611612.25.6
May21° / 10°789.312.46.7
Jun21° / 10°1131212.66.2
Jul18° / 10°48429.612.53.3
Aug17° / 10°57930.612.33.1
Sep18° / 25221.712.14.4
Oct19° / 476.411.86.9
Nov19° / 234.211.67.4
Dec19° / 17411.47.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27624
37624
47723
57723
67723
77723
87723
97624
107624
117624
127624
137624
147624
157624
167426
177426
187327
197327
207228
217129
227129
237030
247030
256832
266832
276832
286733
296733
306733
316634

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Debre Birhan gets around 17 mm of rain over 4 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 13% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
114
214
313
413
512
612
712
811
911
1011
1111
1211
1311
1411
1511
1611
1711
1812
1912
2013
2113
2214
2315
2415
2516
2617
2717
2818
2918
3019
3119

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 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 6:27 AM to 6:42 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:275:56
211.56:285:56
311.56:285:56
411.56:295:57
511.56:295:57
611.56:305:57
711.56:305:58
811.56:315:58
911.56:315:58
1011.46:325:59
1111.46:325:59
1211.46:336:00
1311.46:336:00
1411.46:346:00
1511.46:346:01
1611.46:356:01
1711.46:356:02
1811.46:366:02
1911.46:366:02
2011.46:376:03
2111.46:376:03
2211.46:386:04
2311.46:386:04
2411.46:396:05
2511.46:396:05
2611.46:406:06
2711.46:406:06
2811.46:416:07
2911.46:416:07
3011.46:416:08
3111.46:426:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.5 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Debre Birhan

In seasonPeak

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

Debre Birhan's monsoon runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Debre Birhan sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Debre Birhan?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Debre Birhan for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Debre Birhan in December

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

In December, Debre Birhan sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Debre Birhan 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 Debre Birhan peaks around March 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 10 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 19UV 16Dec 10UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug15Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Debre Birhan 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 Debre Birhan is worst in June — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 25 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorPoorModerateJun 1842 µg/m³Nov 2025 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan27Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar30Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May32Moderate
Jun43Poor
Jul37Poor
Aug34Moderate
Sep38Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec26Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Debre Birhan?

Debre Birhan sits at 9.7°N, 39.5°E, 2,830 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Sheno, 47 km away.

Topography around Debre Birhan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Debre Birhan has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 459 m around an average of 2,763 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,027 m.

The land around Debre Birhan is covered by cropland (52%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, cropland (73%) within 16 km, and cropland (51%) and shrubs (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
459 m
16 km
1,339 m
80 km
3,027 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
December weather nearby: Sheno 47 km · Kobo 52 km · Robit 53 km · Abomsa 60 km · ‘Alem Ketema 71 km · Mehal Mēda 72 km · Sendafa 81 km · Āt’aye 87 km

Ethiopia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$933
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
14%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.5
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
28.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 499
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox 44%Muslim 31%Protestant 23%other 1%

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 Debre Birhan (9.6795°, 39.5326°, elevation 2,830 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).