Bolgatanga weather in December

In December, Bolgatanga sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of December to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bolgatanga's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bolgatanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
6th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:18 AM – 5:41 PM
Cloud cover
27%
1st clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Bolgatanga is capital of the Upper East Region, Ghana.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical December day in Bolgatanga reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13521
23521
33521
43521
53521
63521
73521
83521
93521
103521
113521
123521
133521
143421
153421
163421
173421
183420
193420
203420
213420
223420
233420
243420
253420
263420
273420
283420
293420
303320
313320

How December really feels in Bolgatanga

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.

Bolgatanga weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°00.111.44.0
Feb36° / 24°20.511.62.3
Mar38° / 27°102.311.91.0
Apr38° / 27°326.212.21.2
May35° / 26°5310.312.52.2
Jun33° / 25°6211.412.63.4
Jul30° / 24°13219.212.63.7
Aug29° / 23°21125.212.43.4
Sep30° / 23°14418.512.13.7
Oct33° / 23°468.711.83.7
Nov35° / 22°40.611.53.0
Dec34° / 21°0011.43.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 70% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 17%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
47921
57921
67921
77921
87921
98020
108020
118020
128020
138119
148218
158218
168218
178218
188416
198416
208515
218515
228515
238614
248713
258713
268614
278614
288614
298614
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bolgatanga gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 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 0% and peaks near 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1731188
2761077
3771076
480965
582864
683854
785753
885753
987643
1088642
1188642
1290532
1390532
1490532
1591432
1691432
1793322
1893322
1993322
2095221
2195221
2295221
2395221
2496121
2597111
2697111
2797111
2898110
2998110
3099010
3199010

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
69calm
79calm
89calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 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 grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:11 AM to 6:25 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:115:36
211.46:115:36
311.46:125:36
411.46:125:36
511.46:135:37
611.46:135:37
711.46:145:37
811.46:145:38
911.46:155:38
1011.46:155:38
1111.46:165:39
1211.46:165:39
1311.46:175:39
1411.46:175:40
1511.46:185:40
1611.46:185:41
1711.46:195:41
1811.46:195:42
1911.46:205:42
2011.46:205:42
2111.46:215:43
2211.46:215:43
2311.46:225:44
2411.46:225:44
2511.46:235:45
2611.46:235:45
2711.46:245:46
2811.46:245:46
2911.46:245:47
3011.46:255:47
3111.46:255:48

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 4.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
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
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bolgatanga

In seasonPeak

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

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

Bolgatanga sees seasonal dust haze (February–June), heaviest in March.

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

Is December a good time to visit Bolgatanga?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bolgatanga. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bolgatanga in December

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

In December, Bolgatanga sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Bolgatanga in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bolgatanga peaks around March 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 8 (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 14UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Bolgatanga 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 Bolgatanga is worst in December — around 97 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.3× the cleanest month (August, 15 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 1895 µg/m³Aug 1015 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan78Unhealthy
Feb78Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr41Poor
May22Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov70Unhealthy
Dec97Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Bolgatanga?

Bolgatanga sits at 10.8°N, 0.9°W, 191 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Navrongo, 29 km away.

ZabréNaleriguGomboussougouBawkuBittouSinkassé

Topography around Bolgatanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bolgatanga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 67 m around an average of 186 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 380 m.

The land around Bolgatanga is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and cropland (41%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and cropland (43%), grassland (36%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
67 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
380 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Navrongo 29 km · Zabré 50 km · 53 km · Nalerigu 60 km · Gomboussougou 72 km · Bawku 73 km · Bittou 79 km · Sinkassé 100 km

Ghana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,257
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
25.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 540
Religion
Christian 71%Muslim 20%other 5%traditionalist 3%

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 Bolgatanga (10.7856°, -0.8514°, elevation 191 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).