Old Harbour weather in December

In December, Old Harbour sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 30 mm of rain across 6.2 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 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 Old Harbour's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Old Harbour's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
9th warmest
Overnight low
22°
4th coldest
Rainfall
30 mm
6.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:37 AM – 5:33 PM
Cloud cover
40%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Old Harbour is city in Jamaica.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Old Harbour reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°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 28°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)
12823
22823
32823
42823
52723
62723
72723
82723
92723
102723
112723
122723
132722
142722
152722
162722
172722
182722
192722
202722
212722
222722
232722
242722
252722
262722
272722
282722
292722
302722
312722

How December really feels in Old Harbour

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.

Old Harbour 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° / 22°174.4117.8
Feb27° / 22°174.611.47.7
Mar27° / 22°316.511.97.4
Apr28° / 23°489.412.46.6
May28° / 23°11915.412.85.2
Jun29° / 24°681113.15.2
Jul30° / 25°529.4135.2
Aug30° / 25°8614.612.64.5
Sep29° / 24°13918.912.14.2
Oct28° / 24°14021.411.64.3
Nov28° / 23°6711.711.26.1
Dec27° / 22°306.210.97.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27525
37723
47723
57822
67921
77921
87921
97921
107822
117822
127921
137921
147921
157921
167921
177921
188020
198020
208020
218020
228119
238119
248119
258119
268218
278218
288218
298218
308218
318218

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Old Harbour gets around 30 mm of rain over 6.2 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 20% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
223
323
422
522
622
722
822
922
1022
1122
1222
1322
1422
1521
1621
1721
1821
1920
2020
2119
2219
2318
2418
2518
2617
2717
2817
2917
3016
3116

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 95% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1023464
2033562
3033661
4033760
5033760
6033859
7033859
8033859
9033958
10033958
11143956
12144055
13144055
14144154
15154153
16154252
17154252
18164251
19164350
20164350
21174449
22174547
23174646
24174844
25175043
26175141
27175339
28075637
29075835
30076033
31066331

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 6:28 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:285:28
211.06:295:28
311.06:295:29
411.06:305:29
511.06:315:29
611.06:315:29
711.06:325:30
811.06:325:30
911.06:335:30
1010.96:335:30
1110.96:345:31
1210.96:355:31
1310.96:355:31
1410.96:365:32
1510.96:365:32
1610.96:375:33
1710.96:375:33
1810.96:385:33
1910.96:385:34
2010.96:395:34
2110.96:395:35
2210.96:405:35
2310.96:405:36
2410.96:415:36
2510.96:415:37
2610.96:415:37
2710.96:425:38
2810.96:425:38
2910.96:435:39
3010.96:435:39
3110.96:435:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.39 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 4.39 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
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
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Old Harbour

In seasonPeak

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

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

Old Harbour's rainy season runs August–November, 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 Old Harbour?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Old Harbour in December

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

In December, Old Harbour sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. About 6 days see rain.

light clothes

Sea temperature near Old Harbour 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 29°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May28Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour peaks around April 21 at about 12 (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 21UV 12Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Old Harbour 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 Old Harbour is worst in June — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.1× the cleanest month (January, 17 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 2335 µg/m³Jan 1117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr18Moderate
May24Moderate
Jun35Poor
Jul34Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Old Harbour?

Old Harbour sits at 17.9°N, 77.1°W, 30 m above sea level, in Jamaica. The nearest listed city is May Pen, 15 km away.

May PenSpanish TownLinsteadPortmorePort RoyalHalf Way TreeKingstonNew Kingston

Topography around Old Harbour

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Old Harbour has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 211 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 738 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,229 m.

The land around Old Harbour is covered by trees (46%), grassland (28%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (59%) within 16 km, and water (51%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
211 m
16 km
738 m
80 km
2,229 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: May Pen 15 km · Spanish Town 17 km · Linstead 23 km · Portmore 24 km · Port Royal 28 km · Half Way Tree 34 km · Kingston 34 km · New Kingston 35 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 Old Harbour (17.9414°, -77.109°, elevation 30 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).