Balikpapan weather in December

In December, Balikpapan sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 268 mm of rain across 28.8 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Balikpapan's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balikpapan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
268 mm
28.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:07 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
93%
12th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

Balikpapan is city in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.

Density
1,319/km²
people per km²
Founded
1897

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Balikpapan reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93025
103025
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163025
173025
183025
193025
203025
213025
223025
233025
243025
253025
263025
273025
283025
293025
303025
313025

How December really feels in Balikpapan

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.

Balikpapan weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°25527.512.12.8
Feb30° / 25°22723.8122.9
Mar30° / 25°27127.8122.8
Apr30° / 25°26427.5122.7
May30° / 26°19827.611.92.9
Jun30° / 25°17224.911.93.2
Jul29° / 25°14222.411.93.7
Aug29° / 25°10117.9124.2
Sep30° / 25°10917124.1
Oct30° / 25°15822.3123.4
Nov30° / 25°21827.512.12.7
Dec30° / 25°26828.812.12.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 3% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 96%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16496
17496
18496
19496
20496
21496
22496
23496
24397
25397
26397
27397
28397
29397
30397
31496

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Balikpapan gets around 268 mm of rain over 28.8 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 93% and peaks near 95% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
195
295
395
495
594
694
794
894
993
1093
1193
1293
1393
1493
1593
1693
1793
1893
1993
2093
2193
2293
2393
2492
2592
2692
2792
2892
2992
3092
3192

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the miserable band about 97% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1397
2397
3397
4397
5397
6397
7397
8397
9397
10397
11397
12397
13397
14298
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21397
22397
23397
24496
25496
26496
27595
28595
29694
30694
31793

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 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 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 6:00 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:006:04
212.16:016:05
312.16:016:05
412.16:026:06
512.16:026:06
612.16:026:07
712.16:036:07
812.16:036:07
912.16:046:08
1012.16:046:08
1112.16:046:09
1212.16:056:09
1312.16:056:10
1412.16:066:10
1512.16:066:11
1612.16:076:11
1712.16:076:11
1812.16:086:12
1912.16:086:12
2012.16:096:13
2112.16:096:13
2212.16:096:14
2312.16:106:14
2412.16:106:15
2512.16:116:15
2612.16:116:16
2712.16:126:16
2812.16:126:17
2912.16:136:17
3012.16:136:18
3112.16:146:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.45 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 4.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Balikpapan?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Balikpapan.

What to pack for Balikpapan in December

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

In December, Balikpapan sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Balikpapan in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Balikpapan in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Balikpapan peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jul 10UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan is worst in October — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (March, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1321 µg/m³Mar 2411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Balikpapan?

Balikpapan sits at 1.3°S, 116.8°E, 67 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Loa Janan, 82 km away.

Martapura

Topography around Balikpapan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balikpapan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,262 m.

The land around Balikpapan is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
123 m
80 km
1,262 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Loa Janan 82 km · Samarinda 93 km · Bontang 172 km · Tanjung 187 km · Amuntai 217 km · Barabai 217 km · Muara Teweh 218 km · Martapura 323 km

Indonesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,060
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
11.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 471
Religion
Muslim 87%Protestant 8%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 2%

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 Balikpapan (-1.2675°, 116.8289°, elevation 67 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).