Palu weather in December

In December, Palu sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 264 mm of rain across 27.5 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of December to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Palu's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
264 mm
27.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:55 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
95%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Palu is administrative city in Donggala Regency, Indonesia.

Founded
1978

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Palu reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12821
22821
32821
42821
52821
62821
72821
82821
92821
102821
112821
122821
132821
142821
152821
162821
172821
182821
192821
202821
212821
222821
232821
242821
252821
262821
272821
282821
292821
302821
312821

Palu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 21°25927.9123.5
Feb28° / 21°24425123.6
Mar28° / 21°28928.3123.5
Apr28° / 21°31327.8123.4
May28° / 21°34028.8123.4
Jun27° / 21°33228.311.93.5
Jul27° / 21°33128.4123.6
Aug28° / 21°31428.1123.7
Sep28° / 21°33528.2123.5
Oct28° / 21°34229.1123.4
Nov28° / 21°32128.6123.3
Dec28° / 21°26427.512.13.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 1% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 99%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24199
250100
260100
270100
280100
290100
300100
31199

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Palu gets around 264 mm of rain over 27.5 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 89% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
390
490
590
690
789
889
989
1089
1189
1289
1389
1489
1589
1689
1788
1888
1988
2088
2188
2288
2388
2488
2588
2689
2789
2889
2989
3089
3189

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 79% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
11486
21486
31486
41585
51585
61684
71684
81684
91783
101783
111882
121882
131981
141981
152080
162080
172179
182278
192278
202377
212476
222575
232575
242674
252674
262674
272773
282773
292773
302773
312773

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.05:495:52
212.05:495:52
312.05:505:53
412.05:505:53
512.15:505:53
612.15:515:54
712.15:515:54
812.15:525:55
912.15:525:55
1012.15:525:56
1112.15:535:56
1212.15:535:56
1312.15:545:57
1412.15:545:57
1512.15:555:58
1612.15:555:58
1712.15:565:59
1812.15:565:59
1912.15:576:00
2012.15:576:00
2112.15:576:01
2212.15:586:01
2312.15:586:02
2412.15:596:02
2512.15:596:02
2612.16:006:03
2712.16:006:03
2812.16:016:04
2912.16:016:04
3012.16:026:05
3112.16:026:05

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.25 kWh/m² to a high of 5.26 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 4.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Palu?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palu.

What to pack for Palu in December

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

In December, Palu sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Palu 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 42 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in February near 29°C.

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

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Palu 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 Palu peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Palu?

Palu sits at 0.9°S, 119.9°E, 9 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Poso, 112 km away.

PolewaliBontangBungkuSamarinda

Topography around Palu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 96 m around an average of 29 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,194 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,505 m.

The land around Palu is covered by artificial surfaces (78%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (56%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
96 m
16 km
2,194 m
80 km
2,505 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Poso 112 km · Masamba 190 km · Rantepao 229 km · Palopo 235 km · Polewali 287 km · Bontang 289 km · Bungku 296 km · Samarinda 307 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 Palu (-0.9083°, 119.8708°, elevation 9 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).