Yirga ‘Alem weather in December

In December, Yirga ‘Alem sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 26 mm of rain across 4 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-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 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Yirga ‘Alem's 1st-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Yirga ‘Alem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
1st coldest
Rainfall
26 mm
4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:34 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
50%
1st clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.0
out of 10

Yirga ‘Alem is place in Ethiopia.

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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Yirga ‘Alem reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 14°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 warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12310
22310
32310
42310
52310
62310
72310
82310
92310
102310
112310
122310
132310
142310
152310
162310
172310
182310
192310
202310
212310
222310
232310
242310
252410
262410
272410
282410
292410
302410
312410

Yirga ‘Alem weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 10°264.511.77.9
Feb26° / 11°344.811.87.4
Mar25° / 12°9811.9126.5
Apr23° / 12°21120.612.15.0
May22° / 12°23325.512.34.2
Jun20° / 12°13125.712.43.9
Jul19° / 12°12425.512.43.8
Aug19° / 12°15026.312.23.8
Sep21° / 11°22526124.0
Oct21° / 11°20121.611.84.7
Nov22° / 10°749.511.76.8
Dec23° / 10°26411.68.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 30% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26139
36139
46139
56139
66238
76238
86337
96436
106436
116535
126634
136733
146733
156733
166832
176931
186931
196832
206832
216832
226733
236733
246733
256634
266535
276535
286436
296337
306337
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Yirga ‘Alem gets around 26 mm of rain over 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 13% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
220
319
418
518
617
716
815
915
1014
1113
1213
1312
1412
1511
1611
1711
1810
1910
2010
2110
2210
2311
2411
2511
2611
2711
2811
2911
3011
3111

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1946
2946
3946
4955
5955
6955
7964
8964
9964
10964
11973
12973
13973
14973
15973
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

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 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 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 6:27 AM to 6:41 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:276:05
211.66:276:05
311.66:286:06
411.66:286:06
511.66:296:06
611.66:296:07
711.66:306:07
811.66:306:08
911.66:316:08
1011.66:316:08
1111.66:326:09
1211.66:326:09
1311.66:336:10
1411.66:336:10
1511.66:346:10
1611.66:346:11
1711.66:356:11
1811.66:356:12
1911.66:366:12
2011.66:366:13
2111.66:376:13
2211.66:376:14
2311.66:386:14
2411.66:386:14
2511.66:386:15
2611.66:396:15
2711.66:396:16
2811.66:406:16
2911.66:406:17
3011.66:416:17
3111.66:416:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Yirga ‘Alem?

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

8.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Yirga ‘Alem in December

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

In December, Yirga ‘Alem sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Yirga ‘Alem 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 Yirga ‘Alem peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near November 22 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 15Nov 22UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Yirga ‘Alem 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 Yirga ‘Alem is worst in December — around 73 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 1.9× the cleanest month (August, 39 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyDec 1872 µg/m³Aug 1440 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan69Unhealthy
Feb61Unhealthy
Mar53Poor
Apr45Poor
May41Poor
Jun44Poor
Jul42Poor
Aug39Poor
Sep46Poor
Oct54Poor
Nov67Unhealthy
Dec73Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Yirga ‘Alem?

Yirga ‘Alem sits at 6.8°N, 38.4°E, 1,778 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Leku, 14 km away.

Topography around Yirga ‘Alem

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Yirga ‘Alem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 163 m around an average of 1,757 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,489 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,492 m.

The land around Yirga ‘Alem is covered by trees (75%) within 3 km, trees (55%) and shrubs (38%) within 16 km, and cropland (33%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
163 m
16 km
1,489 m
80 km
2,492 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Leku 14 km · Wendo 17 km · Ch’iko 21 km · Awasa 35 km · Dimtu 38 km · Bedēsa 38 km · Dīla 39 km · Wenago 51 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 Yirga ‘Alem (6.75°, 38.4167°, elevation 1,778 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).