Tarakan weather in December

In December, Tarakan sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 298 mm of rain across 29.9 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-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 6% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tarakan's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tarakan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
9th warmest
Overnight low
25°
6th coldest
Rainfall
298 mm
29.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:12 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
83%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Tarakan is city in North Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.

Density
1,018/km²
people per km²
Founded
1997

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 Tarakan reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°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)
12825
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152825
162825
172825
182825
192825
202825
212825
222825
232825
242825
252825
262825
272825
282825
292825
302825
312825

How December really feels in Tarakan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 23 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
23
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.

Tarakan weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 25°26026.811.83.7
Feb28° / 25°20924.911.93.7
Mar28° / 25°23528.5123.4
Apr29° / 26°22627.912.13.3
May29° / 26°24929.312.13.1
Jun29° / 26°21726.912.23.3
Jul29° / 26°21026.812.23.4
Aug29° / 26°21126.512.13.4
Sep29° / 25°22727.2123.3
Oct29° / 26°26029.411.93.1
Nov29° / 25°2782911.83.1
Dec28° / 25°29829.911.83.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11882
21882
31882
41882
51882
61882
71882
81882
91882
101882
111981
121981
131981
141783
151783
161783
171684
181684
191585
201486
211387
221288
231288
241189
251189
261189
271189
281090
291090
301288
311288

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Tarakan gets around 298 mm of rain over 29.9 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 96% and peaks near 98% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
198
298
398
498
598
698
798
898
998
1098
1198
1298
1398
1498
1598
1698
1797
1897
1997
2097
2196
2296
2395
2494
2594
2693
2793
2892
2991
3090
3190

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 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75149
85149
95149
105149
115248
125248
135347
145446
155545
165644
175743
185842
195941
206040
216139
226238
236337
246436
256535
266634
276832
286931
297030
307129
317228

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of December to 11 h 48 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 6:05 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:055:54
211.86:055:54
311.86:065:55
411.86:065:55
511.86:065:55
611.86:075:56
711.86:075:56
811.86:085:57
911.86:085:57
1011.86:095:57
1111.86:095:58
1211.86:105:58
1311.86:105:59
1411.86:115:59
1511.86:116:00
1611.86:126:00
1711.86:126:01
1811.86:126:01
1911.86:136:01
2011.86:136:02
2111.86:146:02
2211.86:146:03
2311.86:156:03
2411.86:156:04
2511.86:166:04
2611.86:166:05
2711.86:176:05
2811.86:176:06
2911.86:186:06
3011.86:186:07
3111.86:186:07

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.6 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.6 kWh/m² to a high of 5.54 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 4.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Tarakan

In seasonPeak

In December, Tarakan sits inside its pacific typhoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Tarakan sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Tarakan?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tarakan.

What to pack for Tarakan in December

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

In December, Tarakan sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tarakan 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 21 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in January 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
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun30Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Tarakan in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tarakan peaks around March 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 15Dec 15UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Tarakan 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 Tarakan is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1327 µg/m³Jan 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun10Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tarakan?

Tarakan sits at 3.3°N, 117.6°E, 29 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Tanjung Selor, 59 km away.

Topography around Tarakan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tarakan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 107 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 116 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,016 m.

The land around Tarakan is covered by trees (37%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 3 km, water (64%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (47%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
107 m
16 km
116 m
80 km
1,016 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Tanjung Selor 59 km · Nunukan 92 km · Tawau 109 km · Malinau 112 km · Semporna 172 km · Lahad Datu 207 km · Bandar Nabawan 231 km · Sitangkai 250 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 Tarakan (3.3133°, 117.5915°, elevation 29 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).