Soma weather in December

In December, Soma sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°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 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Soma's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
8th warmest
Overnight low
19°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
7:22 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
46%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Soma is town in The Gambia.

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 33°C through the month.

A typical December day in Soma reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13420
23420
33420
43420
53420
63320
73320
83319
93319
103319
113319
123319
133319
143319
153319
163319
173319
183319
193319
203319
213319
223319
233319
243319
253319
263319
273319
283319
293319
303319
313319

How December really feels in Soma

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Soma weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°10.211.34.6
Feb35° / 20°10.111.63.4
Mar37° / 21°0011.92.2
Apr37° / 22°0012.31.7
May37° / 24°10.312.61.9
Jun36° / 25°284.812.82.5
Jul33° / 25°16017.512.73.0
Aug31° / 24°26424.312.42.8
Sep32° / 24°19219.312.13.0
Oct34° / 24°518.111.73.3
Nov35° / 22°30.711.43.3
Dec33° / 19°20.311.24.3

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35941
45941
55941
65941
75842
85842
95842
105842
115842
125842
135842
145842
155842
165941
175941
185941
196040
206040
216040
226040
236139
246139
256139
266139
276139
286238
296238
306238
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Soma gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.3 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 1% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

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 70% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
146271881
248261781
351251671
453241571
556231461
658211461
761201351
862201251
964191241
1066181141
1167171141
1269171031
1370161031
1471161030
157216930
167216930
177216930
187316830
197515820
207615720
217615720
227615720
237814620
247814620
258013520
268113420
278212420
288312320
298511310
308611210
318710210

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 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 7:14 AM to 7:29 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.37:146:30
211.37:146:30
311.37:156:30
411.27:166:31
511.27:166:31
611.27:176:31
711.27:176:31
811.27:186:32
911.27:186:32
1011.27:196:32
1111.27:196:33
1211.27:206:33
1311.27:206:33
1411.27:216:34
1511.27:216:34
1611.27:226:35
1711.27:226:35
1811.27:236:36
1911.27:236:36
2011.27:246:36
2111.27:246:37
2211.27:256:37
2311.27:256:38
2411.27:266:38
2511.27:266:39
2611.27:276:39
2711.27:276:40
2811.27:286:40
2911.27:286:41
3011.27:286:41
3111.27:296:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.22 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Soma

In seasonPeak

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

Soma's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Soma sees seasonal dust haze (February–August), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Soma?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Soma in December

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

In December, Soma sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Soma 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 Soma peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 18UV 13Dec 17UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Soma 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 Soma is worst in February — around 99 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (August, 23 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1697 µg/m³Aug 1924 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan77Unhealthy
Feb99Unhealthy
Mar83Unhealthy
Apr65Unhealthy
May56Unhealthy
Jun58Unhealthy
Jul34Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct47Poor
Nov55Poor
Dec71Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Soma?

Soma sits at 13.4°N, 15.5°W, 21 m above sea level, in Gambia. The nearest listed city is Farafenni, 16 km away.

Nema KunkuNioro du RipKoungneul Sossé

Topography around Soma

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Soma has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 41 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 63 m.

The land around Soma is covered by shrubs (31%), cropland (27%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (28%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and cropland (40%), shrubs (23%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
41 m
16 km
55 m
80 km
63 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Farafenni 16 km · Nema Kunku 43 km · Nioro du Rip 46 km · Kaffrine 75 km · Sédhiou 81 km · Kolda 88 km · Kahone 97 km · Koungneul Sossé 98 km

Gambia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 25% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$919
2025
Happiness
4.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
48%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
29.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 96%Christian 4%other or none 0%

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 Soma (13.4333°, -15.5333°, elevation 21 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).