Abidjan weather in December

In December, Abidjan sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 64 mm of rain across 17.7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-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 38% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Abidjan's 2nd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Abidjan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
9th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
17.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:21 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
51%
2nd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Abidjan is major city and economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire.

Density
2,983/km²
people per km²
Founded
1898

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 Abidjan reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 2°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)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

How December really feels in Abidjan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Abidjan weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°4712.811.76.2
Feb28° / 26°5315.411.85.3
Mar28° / 26°7820.3124.4
Apr28° / 26°10621.912.14.1
May28° / 26°20527.612.23.7
Jun27° / 25°25627.212.33.8
Jul25° / 24°12819.312.35.2
Aug25° / 23°6113.312.26.1
Sep25° / 24°8718125.4
Oct26° / 25°10723.211.94.7
Nov28° / 25°9623.611.84.4
Dec28° / 26°6417.711.75.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45941
55941
66040
76139
86238
96238
106436
116436
126535
136733
146733
156832
166832
176931
187030
197030
207030
217228
227228
237228
247129
257228
267228
277228
287129
297129
307228
317129

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Abidjan gets around 64 mm of rain over 17.7 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 57% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
172
271
370
469
568
667
766
865
964
1063
1162
1261
1361
1460
1559
1658
1757
1856
1955
2053
2152
2251
2350
2448
2547
2646
2745
2844
2943
3042
3141

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 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1007327
2007228
3007228
4007228
5007129
6007129
7007129
8007129
9007129
10007030
11007030
12006931
13006931
14006832
15006733
16006733
17006634
18006535
19006436
20006337
21006238
22006238
23006139
24006139
25006139
26006139
27016138
28116038
29116137
30126037
31126136

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of December to 11 h 42 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 6:14 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:145:57
211.76:155:57
311.76:155:58
411.76:165:58
511.76:165:58
611.76:175:59
711.76:175:59
811.76:186:00
911.76:186:00
1011.76:196:00
1111.76:196:01
1211.76:206:01
1311.76:206:02
1411.76:206:02
1511.76:216:02
1611.76:216:03
1711.76:226:03
1811.76:226:04
1911.76:236:04
2011.76:236:05
2111.76:246:05
2211.76:246:06
2311.76:256:06
2411.76:256:07
2511.76:266:07
2611.76:266:08
2711.76:276:08
2811.76:276:09
2911.76:276:09
3011.76:286:09
3111.76:286:10

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.34 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 4.85 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Abidjan

In seasonPeak

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

Abidjan's rainy season runs May–July, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Abidjan?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Abidjan for sightseeing.

What to pack for Abidjan in December

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

In December, Abidjan sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Abidjan in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 29 km away) is warmest in May at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr28Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul25Warm
Aug24Refreshing
Sep24Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov28Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Abidjan in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Abidjan peaks around April 11 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 16 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeVery highApr 11UV 13Jul 16UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul8Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Abidjan 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 Abidjan is worst in January — around 72 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.3× the cleanest month (August, 22 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorJan 1671 µg/m³Aug 2422 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan72Unhealthy
Feb61Unhealthy
Mar42Poor
Apr40Poor
May29Moderate
Jun27Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov36Poor
Dec61Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Abidjan?

Abidjan sits at 5.4°N, 4.0°W, 50 m above sea level, in Ivory Coast. The nearest listed city is Marcory, 5.0 km away.

Dabou

Topography around Abidjan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Abidjan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 96 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 145 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 189 m.

The land around Abidjan is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (41%), trees (24%) and water (20%) within 16 km, and trees (63%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
96 m
16 km
145 m
80 km
189 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Marcory 5.0 km · Abobo 7.0 km · Koumassi 7.0 km · Bingerville 13 km · Anyama 17 km · Azaguié 32 km · Grand-Bassam 33 km · Dabou 42 km

Ivory Coast travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,050
2025
Happiness
5.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
36%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
24.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 393

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 Abidjan (5.3544°, -4.0017°, elevation 50 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).