Machakos weather in December

In December, Machakos sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 92 mm of rain across 18.6 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Machakos's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Machakos's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
7th warmest
Overnight low
16°
7th coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
18.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:24 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
58%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Machakos is municipality in Machakos County, Kenya.

Founded
1887

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Machakos reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12416
22416
32416
42416
52416
62416
72416
82416
92416
102416
112416
122416
132416
142416
152416
162416
172416
182416
192516
202516
212516
222516
232516
242516
252516
262516
272516
282516
292516
302516
312516

Machakos weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°501012.16.9
Feb27° / 16°417.9126.8
Mar27° / 17°9015.3125.9
Apr25° / 17°15122.5124.8
May24° / 16°721511.96.2
Jun23° / 15°184.711.97.2
Jul23° / 14°61.611.97.5
Aug23° / 14°91.7127.6
Sep25° / 15°71.5128.0
Oct26° / 16°418.5126.9
Nov24° / 16°15522.812.14.9
Dec24° / 16°9218.612.15.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 32% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24456
34555
44654
54654
64951
75050
85149
95248
105347
115347
125446
135545
145545
155545
165644
175644
185743
195842
205842
215842
225842
236040
246040
256040
266040
276139
286139
296139
306139
316040

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Machakos gets around 92 mm of rain over 18.6 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 60% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
181
281
380
479
577
676
774
872
970
1068
1166
1264
1362
1460
1558
1657
1755
1854
1953
2052
2151
2250
2349
2449
2548
2647
2746
2846
2945
3044
3143

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
112277
212376
312376
412475
512574
612673
722771
822870
922969
1033067
1133265
1243363
1343462
1453560
1553659
1653857
1763955
1864054
1974152
2074152
2174251
2284250
2394349
2494348
25104347
26104346
27114446
28114445
29124444
30134443
31134542

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 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 6:18 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:37 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:186:23
212.16:196:24
312.16:196:24
412.16:196:24
512.16:206:25
612.16:206:25
712.16:216:26
812.16:216:26
912.16:216:27
1012.16:226:27
1112.16:226:27
1212.16:236:28
1312.16:236:28
1412.16:246:29
1512.16:246:29
1612.16:246:30
1712.16:256:30
1812.16:256:31
1912.16:266:31
2012.16:266:32
2112.16:276:32
2212.16:276:33
2312.16:286:33
2412.16:286:33
2512.16:296:34
2612.16:296:34
2712.16:306:35
2812.16:306:35
2912.16:316:36
3012.16:316:36
3112.16:316:37

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.14 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Machakos?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Machakos for sightseeing.

What to pack for Machakos in December

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

In December, Machakos sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Machakos in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Machakos peaks around March 17 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Machakos 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 Machakos is worst in December — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 13 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateDec 2129 µg/m³Oct 913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan28Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov22Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Machakos?

Machakos sits at 1.5°S, 37.3°E, 1,619 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Kinoi, 19 km away.

Topography around Machakos

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Machakos has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 517 m around an average of 1,664 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 905 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,607 m.

The land around Machakos is covered by shrubs (32%) within 3 km, shrubs (39%), grassland (27%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and shrubs (40%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
517 m
16 km
905 m
80 km
1,607 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kinoi 19 km · Mwala 28 km · Athi River 33 km · Kitengela 34 km · Mlolongo 39 km · Githunguri 39 km · Imara Daima Estate 48 km · Wote 50 km

Kenya travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,363
2025
Happiness
4.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
4.9
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
28.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 593
Religion
Christian 86%Muslim 11%other 2%none 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 Machakos (-1.5223°, 37.2652°, elevation 1,619 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. 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).