Mombasa weather in December

In December, Mombasa sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 46 mm of rain across 13 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of December to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mombasa's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mombasa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
4th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
46 mm
13 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:11 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
44%
3rd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
6.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Mombasa is city in Kenya.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
4,100/km²
people per km²
Founded
1593

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mombasa reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93025
103025
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163026
173026
183026
193026
203026
213026
223026
233026
243026
253026
263026
273026
283026
293026
303026
313026

How December really feels in Mombasa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Mombasa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 26°183.512.25.6
Feb31° / 26°112.412.15.5
Mar31° / 26°4912.4124.4
Apr30° / 26°13624.411.93.5
May28° / 25°22324.111.84.3
Jun27° / 24°9220.511.85.0
Jul26° / 23°6919.811.85.2
Aug27° / 23°4917.211.95.7
Sep27° / 23°4314.8126.1
Oct28° / 24°7514.912.15.5
Nov29° / 25°6616.112.24.8
Dec30° / 25°461312.24.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47426
57327
67426
77426
87426
97426
107426
117426
127327
137327
147327
157327
167327
177327
187327
197327
207426
217426
227426
237426
247525
257525
267624
277624
287624
297525
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mombasa gets around 46 mm of rain over 13 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 41% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
154
254
355
455
555
654
754
853
952
1051
1150
1249
1348
1446
1545
1643
1741
1840
1938
2036
2134
2232
2331
2429
2527
2626
2724
2822
2921
3020
3118

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 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18218
28218
38218
48218
58218
68218
78119
88119
98020
107921
117921
127822
137822
147822
157822
167822
177822
187921
197921
208020
218020
228119
238218
248218
258317
268317
278416
288416
298515
308515
318614

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of December to 12 h 12 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 6:05 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:056:18
212.26:056:18
312.26:056:18
412.26:066:19
512.26:066:19
612.26:066:20
712.26:076:20
812.26:076:21
912.26:086:21
1012.26:086:22
1112.26:086:22
1212.26:096:23
1312.26:096:23
1412.26:106:24
1512.26:106:24
1612.26:116:25
1712.26:116:25
1812.26:116:25
1912.26:126:26
2012.26:126:26
2112.26:136:27
2212.26:136:27
2312.26:146:28
2412.26:146:28
2512.26:156:29
2612.26:156:29
2712.26:166:30
2812.26:166:30
2912.26:176:31
3012.26:176:31
3112.26:186:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.67 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 6.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mombasa

In seasonPeak

In December, Mombasa sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mombasa sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Mombasa?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mombasa in December

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

In December, Mombasa sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Mombasa 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 April at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Mombasa in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mombasa peaks around March 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 19UV 15Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mombasa?

Mombasa sits at 4.1°S, 39.7°E, 20 m above sea level, in Kenya. The nearest listed city is Jomvu, 10 km away.

Topography around Mombasa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mombasa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 264 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 800 m.

The land around Mombasa is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and water (35%) within 3 km, water (41%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (24%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
264 m
80 km
800 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Jomvu 10 km · Mtwapa 16 km · Mazeras 16 km · Matuga 16 km · Diani Beach 26 km · Ukunda 29 km · Mariakani 30 km · Kilifi 51 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 Mombasa (-4.0547°, 39.6636°, elevation 20 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).