Negril weather in December

In December, Negril sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 22 mm of rain across 4.6 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-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 68% 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 Negril's 4th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Negril's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
9th warmest
Overnight low
25°
4th coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
4.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:42 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
37%
4th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.6
out of 10

Negril is city in Jamaica.

Founded
1494

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 Negril 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 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)
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
292725
302725
312725

How December really feels in Negril

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.

Negril weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°143.8117.9
Feb27° / 24°164.111.47.8
Mar27° / 24°236.311.97.5
Apr28° / 25°329.612.46.5
May29° / 26°9016.912.84.9
Jun29° / 27°7216.413.14.4
Jul30° / 27°7019.2134.1
Aug30° / 27°8919.712.64.0
Sep29° / 27°11619.812.14.0
Oct29° / 26°11319.611.64.4
Nov28° / 26°508.411.16.3
Dec28° / 25°224.610.97.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27822
37822
47921
57921
67921
77921
87921
97921
107921
117921
127921
137921
147921
157921
168020
178020
188020
198020
208119
218119
228119
238119
248119
258218
268317
278317
288317
298416
308416
318317

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Negril gets around 22 mm of rain over 4.6 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 15% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
214
314
414
513
613
714
814
914
1014
1115
1215
1316
1416
1516
1617
1717
1817
1917
2016
2116
2216
2316
2415
2515
2614
2713
2813
2912
3012
3112

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 80% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
10114814
20114814
30113824
40213814
50213823
60213823
70213823
80213823
90213832
100212842
110212842
120213841
130213841
140213841
151213840
161213840
171214830
181314820
191314820
201315810
210415810
220416800
230416800
240417790
250418780
260419770
270420760
280421750
290421750
300422740
310423730

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light 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 6:34 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:345:33
211.06:345:33
311.06:355:33
411.06:355:33
511.06:365:33
610.96:375:34
710.96:375:34
810.96:385:34
910.96:385:34
1010.96:395:35
1110.96:405:35
1210.96:405:35
1310.96:415:36
1410.96:415:36
1510.96:425:36
1610.96:425:37
1710.96:435:37
1810.96:435:38
1910.96:445:38
2010.96:445:39
2110.96:455:39
2210.96:455:39
2310.96:465:40
2410.96:465:40
2510.96:475:41
2610.96:475:41
2710.96:475:42
2810.96:485:42
2910.96:485:43
3010.96:495:44
3110.96:495:44

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 6.88 kWh/m² in April 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
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
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
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Negril

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Negril?

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

7.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Negril for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Negril in December

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

In December, Negril sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Negril 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 offshore 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
Aug30Tropical
Sep30Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Negril 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 Negril 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
Feb10Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Negril 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 Negril is worst in June — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateGoodJun 2336 µg/m³Dec 2212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul35Poor
Aug29Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Negril?

Negril sits at 18.3°N, 78.3°W, 0 m above sea level, in Jamaica. The nearest listed city is Savanna-la-Mar, 23 km away.

Savanna-la-MarMontego BayBarrett TownFalmouthMandevilleMay PenOcho RiosOld Harbour

Topography around Negril

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Negril has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 279 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 803 m.

The land around Negril is covered by trees (58%) and water (32%) within 3 km, water (67%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and water (68%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
154 m
16 km
279 m
80 km
803 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Savanna-la-Mar 23 km · Montego Bay 51 km · Barrett Town 64 km · Falmouth 77 km · Mandeville 92 km · May Pen 121 km · Ocho Rios 132 km · Old Harbour 136 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 Negril (18.2684°, -78.3481°, elevation 0 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).