Mai weather in December

In December, Mai sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 68 mm of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-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 29% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Mai's 4th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
4th warmest
Overnight low
13°
8th coldest
Rainfall
68 mm
9.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:28 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
57%
4th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

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 Mai reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12313
22313
32313
42313
52313
62313
72313
82313
92313
102313
112313
122313
132313
142313
152413
162413
172413
182413
192413
202413
212413
222413
232413
242413
252413
262413
272413
282413
292413
302413
312413

Mai weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 13°536.712.17.5
Feb26° / 13°395.1127.4
Mar25° / 14°718.6127.1
Apr23° / 14°11717.7125.5
May22° / 14°11518.4125.2
Jun21° / 13°5412.511.95.7
Jul20° / 12°267.711.96.1
Aug21° / 12°358.3126.3
Sep22° / 12°306.8127.0
Oct23° / 13°5411126.6
Nov23° / 13°9215.7125.7
Dec24° / 13°689.412.17.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 27% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44852
55050
65149
75149
85248
95347
105446
115545
125644
135644
145743
155743
165743
175842
185842
195842
205842
215941
225941
236040
246040
256040
266040
276040
286040
296040
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mai gets around 68 mm of rain over 9.4 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 30% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
338
438
537
636
736
835
934
1034
1133
1232
1331
1431
1530
1630
1729
1829
1928
2028
2127
2227
2326
2426
2525
2625
2724
2824
2923
3023
3122

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
148511
249501
350491
450491
551481
652471
753461
854451
955441
1056431
1156431
1257421
1358411
1459401
1560400
1661390
1762380
1863370
1964360
2064360
2165350
2266340
2366340
2467330
2567330
2667330
2767330
2867330
2967330
3067330
3168320

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:22 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:226:25
212.16:226:25
312.16:236:26
412.16:236:26
512.16:236:27
612.16:246:27
712.16:246:27
812.16:256:28
912.16:256:28
1012.16:256:29
1112.16:266:29
1212.16:266:30
1312.16:276:30
1412.16:276:31
1512.16:286:31
1612.16:286:32
1712.16:296:32
1812.16:296:32
1912.16:306:33
2012.16:306:33
2112.16:306:34
2212.16:316:34
2312.16:316:35
2412.16:326:35
2512.16:326:36
2612.16:336:36
2712.16:336:37
2812.16:346:37
2912.16:346:38
3012.16:356:38
3112.16:356:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Mai?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Mai for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Mai in December

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

In December, Mai sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Mai 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 Mai peaks around March 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 15UV 17Jun 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mai 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 Mai is worst in June — around 65 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJun 1864 µg/m³Sep 2348 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan62Unhealthy
Feb59Unhealthy
Mar56Unhealthy
Apr56Unhealthy
May57Unhealthy
Jun65Unhealthy
Jul60Unhealthy
Aug51Poor
Sep48Poor
Oct48Poor
Nov60Unhealthy
Dec64Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Mai?

Mai sits at 1.0°S, 36.6°E, 1,891 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Maai Mahiu, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Mai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mai has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 501 m around an average of 1,913 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,184 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,293 m.

The land around Mai is covered by grassland (29%), trees (22%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (37%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%), shrubs (27%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
501 m
16 km
1,184 m
80 km
3,293 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Maai Mahiu 1.0 km · Limuru 16 km · Githunguri 23 km · Karuri 29 km · Kikuyu 31 km · Naivasha 34 km · Kiambu 35 km · Nairobi 42 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 Mai (-0.9817°, 36.5864°, elevation 1,891 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).