Tamale weather in December

In December, Tamale sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% 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 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tamale's 1st-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tamale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
7th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:16 AM – 5:43 PM
Cloud cover
26%
1st clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Tamale is city in Northern Region, Ghana.

Density
619/km²
people per km²
Founded
1906

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 34°C through the month.

A typical December day in Tamale reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 13°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 on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13522
23522
33522
43522
53522
63522
73522
83522
93422
103422
113422
123422
133421
143421
153421
163421
173421
183421
193421
203421
213421
223421
233421
243421
253421
263421
273421
283421
293421
303421
313421

How December really feels in Tamale

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.

Tamale weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 22°20.311.53.7
Feb37° / 24°61.311.72.1
Mar38° / 27°214.711.91.3
Apr37° / 27°519.612.21.7
May35° / 26°6812.112.42.5
Jun32° / 24°7813.112.53.5
Jul30° / 24°1522112.53.6
Aug29° / 23°22525.512.33.4
Sep30° / 23°17922.812.13.4
Oct32° / 23°6911.411.83.9
Nov34° / 23°71.411.63.5
Dec34° / 21°20.111.53.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% 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 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28218
38218
48218
58317
68416
78416
88416
98416
108515
118614
128614
138614
148614
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228713
238812
248812
258713
268713
278713
288713
298713
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Tamale gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
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 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1321119308
2351118297
3371118276
4401118265
5431117254
6451117244
7481116223
8501016213
9521015203
10551015182
11571014172
1260913162
1361913152
1463912142
1565911132
1667911122
1770810111
187289101
19748891
20767881
21787771
22807661
23817651
24836551
25856540
26866440
27885430
28895330
29905320
30905320
31915220

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 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 6:08 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 5:38 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:085:38
211.56:095:38
311.56:095:38
411.56:105:39
511.56:105:39
611.56:115:39
711.56:115:40
811.56:125:40
911.56:125:40
1011.56:135:41
1111.56:135:41
1211.56:145:41
1311.56:145:42
1411.56:155:42
1511.56:155:43
1611.56:165:43
1711.56:165:44
1811.56:175:44
1911.56:175:44
2011.56:185:45
2111.56:185:45
2211.56:195:46
2311.56:195:46
2411.56:205:47
2511.56:205:47
2611.56:215:48
2711.56:215:48
2811.56:225:49
2911.56:225:49
3011.56:225:50
3111.56:235:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.4 kWh/m² to a high of 6.43 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
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
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Tamale

In seasonPeak

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

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

Tamale sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

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

Is December a good time to visit Tamale?

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
7.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Tamale in December

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

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

light clothessun protection

UV index in Tamale 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 Tamale peaks around April 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 13UV 13Dec 21UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan7Very high
Feb9Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Tamale 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 Tamale is worst in December — around 113 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.2× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyDec 22111 µg/m³Aug 1116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan104Unhealthy
Feb84Unhealthy
Mar48Poor
Apr38Poor
May21Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec113Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Tamale?

Tamale sits at 9.4°N, 0.8°W, 196 m above sea level, in Ghana. The nearest listed city is Savelugu, 25 km away.

YendiSalagaDamongoBimbilaYegyiNaleriguBolgatanga

Topography around Tamale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tamale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 173 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 106 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m.

The land around Tamale is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (36%), grassland (32%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
106 m
80 km
206 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Savelugu 25 km · Yendi 91 km · Salaga 101 km · Damongo 113 km · Bimbila 116 km · Yegyi 132 km · Nalerigu 135 km · Bolgatanga 154 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 Tamale (9.4008°, -0.8393°, elevation 196 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).