Montego Bay weather in December

In December, Montego Bay sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 50 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-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 60% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Montego Bay's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Montego Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
10th warmest
Overnight low
23°
4th coldest
Rainfall
50 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:41 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
41%
4th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Montego Bay is capital of Saint James Parish, Jamaica.

Founded
1980

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 Montego Bay reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 5°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)
12824
22824
32824
42823
52823
62823
72823
82823
92823
102823
112823
122823
132823
142823
152823
162823
172823
182823
192823
202823
212723
222723
232723
242723
252723
262723
272723
282723
292723
302723
312723

How December really feels in Montego Bay

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.

Montego Bay weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 22°4411.4116.6
Feb28° / 22°4011.311.46.5
Mar28° / 23°5812.711.96.1
Apr29° / 23°9316.312.44.9
May29° / 24°22023.912.93.8
Jun30° / 25°14821.813.13.5
Jul30° / 25°13823.4133.4
Aug31° / 25°17126.212.63.1
Sep30° / 25°20625.912.13.1
Oct29° / 25°18324.711.63.6
Nov28° / 24°9116.411.15.2
Dec28° / 23°5011.410.96.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37624
47624
57723
67723
77723
87822
97822
107822
117822
127822
137822
147921
157921
167921
177921
188020
198020
208020
218020
228119
238119
248119
258119
268119
278218
288218
298218
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Montego Bay gets around 50 mm of rain over 11.4 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
339
438
538
638
737
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1338
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2037
2137
2237
2336
2436
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 76% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 96% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1216793
2216793
3216793
4216793
5216802
6216802
7216802
8216802
9216802
10216811
11216811
12317791
13317791
14318781
15318790
16318790
17419770
18419770
19419770
20520750
21520750
22520750
23521740
24521740
25522730
26522730
27522730
28623710
29624700
30624700
31625690

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 5:31 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:325:31
211.06:335:31
311.06:345:31
410.96:345:31
510.96:355:31
610.96:355:32
710.96:365:32
810.96:365:32
910.96:375:32
1010.96:385:33
1110.96:385:33
1210.96:395:33
1310.96:395:34
1410.96:405:34
1510.96:405:34
1610.96:415:35
1710.96:415:35
1810.96:425:36
1910.96:425:36
2010.96:435:36
2110.96:435:37
2210.96:445:37
2310.96:445:38
2410.96:455:38
2510.96:455:39
2610.96:465:39
2710.96:465:40
2810.96:475:40
2910.96:475:41
3010.96:475:41
3110.96:485:42

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.43 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 4.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.4Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Montego Bay

In seasonPeak

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

Montego Bay sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Montego Bay?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Montego Bay for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Montego Bay in December

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

In December, Montego Bay sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Montego Bay 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 18 km away) is warmest in September at about 30°C and coldest in February near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May28Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Montego Bay 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 Montego Bay peaks around April 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 16UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Montego Bay 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 Montego Bay is worst in June — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2231 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr13Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun32Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Montego Bay?

Montego Bay sits at 18.5°N, 77.9°W, 12 m above sea level, in Jamaica. The nearest listed city is Barrett Town, 13 km away.

Barrett TownFalmouthSavanna-la-MarNegrilMandevilleOcho RiosMay PenLinstead

Topography around Montego Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Montego Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 m around an average of 40 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 599 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 978 m.

The land around Montego Bay is covered by trees (31%), artificial surfaces (31%) and water (27%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and water (43%) within 16 km, and water (60%) and trees (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
213 m
16 km
599 m
80 km
978 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Barrett Town 13 km · Falmouth 28 km · Savanna-la-Mar 36 km · Negril 51 km · Mandeville 65 km · Ocho Rios 86 km · May Pen 91 km · Linstead 101 km

Jamaica travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
110 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$8,003
2025
Happiness
6.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
49.4
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
15.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 65%none 21%other 7%Roman Catholic 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 Montego Bay (18.4712°, -77.9188°, elevation 12 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).