Dire Dawa weather in December

In December, Dire Dawa sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 20 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% 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 Dire Dawa's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dire Dawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
12th warmest
Overnight low
12°
1st coldest
Rainfall
20 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:25 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
31%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dire Dawa reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12413
22413
32313
42313
52313
62313
72313
82313
92313
102312
112312
122312
132312
142312
152312
162312
172312
182312
192312
202312
212312
222312
232312
242312
252312
262312
272312
282312
292312
302312
312312

Dire Dawa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°244.311.58.3
Feb25° / 14°304.211.78.0
Mar26° / 15°951011.96.9
Apr26° / 16°15314.312.26.0
May27° / 17°9511.512.46.4
Jun27° / 17°308.412.56.9
Jul26° / 16°9218.912.55.6
Aug25° / 16°12722.412.35.2
Sep25° / 16°1101712.15.9
Oct25° / 15°74811.87.4
Nov24° / 13°364.311.68.4
Dec23° / 12°203.111.58.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48218
58218
68218
78218
88317
98416
108416
118515
128515
138515
148515
158515
168515
178515
188515
198416
208416
218317
228317
238218
248119
258119
268020
278020
288020
297921
307921
317921

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dire Dawa gets around 20 mm of rain over 3.1 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 10% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
414
514
614
713
813
912
1012
1111
1211
1310
149
159
169
178
188
198
208
218
228
238
248
258
268
279
289
299
309
3110

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
183161
283161
384151
484151
584151
685141
786140
887130
987130
1088120
1189110
1289110
1390100
149190
159190
169280
179280
189370
199370
209370
219370
229370
239370
249370
259370
269370
279280
289280
299280
309280
319280

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 6 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
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:18 AM to 6:32 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 5:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:185:47
211.56:185:47
311.56:195:47
411.56:195:48
511.56:205:48
611.56:205:48
711.56:215:49
811.56:215:49
911.56:225:49
1011.56:225:50
1111.56:235:50
1211.46:235:50
1311.46:245:51
1411.46:245:51
1511.46:255:52
1611.46:255:52
1711.46:265:52
1811.46:265:53
1911.46:275:53
2011.46:275:54
2111.46:285:54
2211.46:285:55
2311.46:295:55
2411.46:295:56
2511.46:305:56
2611.46:305:57
2711.46:315:57
2811.46:315:58
2911.46:315:58
3011.46:325:59
3111.46:325:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dire Dawa

In seasonPeak

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

Dire Dawa sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Dire Dawa?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Dire Dawa for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Dire Dawa in December

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

In December, Dire Dawa sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Dire Dawa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dire Dawa peaks around March 21 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 10 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 21UV 15Dec 10UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec10Extreme

Air quality in Dire Dawa 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 Dire Dawa is worst in June — around 30 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1929 µg/m³Dec 1021 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Dire Dawa?

Dire Dawa sits at 9.6°N, 41.9°E, 1,204 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is ‘Alemaya, 27 km away.

Topography around Dire Dawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dire Dawa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 m around an average of 1,233 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 2,714 m.

The land around Dire Dawa is covered by shrubs (49%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 3 km, shrubs (72%) within 16 km, and shrubs (44%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
322 m
16 km
1,339 m
80 km
2,714 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwetland
December weather nearby: ‘Alemaya 27 km · Felana 38 km · Chelenko 40 km · Harar 42 km · Funyan Bīra 54 km · Deder 56 km · Babīlē 65 km · Ārabī 80 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 Dire Dawa (9.5931°, 41.8661°, elevation 1,204 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).