Tarawa weather in December

In December, Tarawa sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 185 mm of rain across 17.7 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-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 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of December to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Tarawa's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tarawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
6th warmest
Overnight low
27°
9th coldest
Rainfall
185 mm
17.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:27 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
66%
10th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

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 Tarawa reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12827
22827
32827
42827
52827
62827
72827
82827
92827
102827
112827
122827
132827
142827
152827
162827
172827
182827
192827
202827
212827
222827
232827
242827
252827
262827
272827
282827
292827
302827
312827

How December really feels in Tarawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 11 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
11
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.

Tarawa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°21117.811.95.1
Feb28° / 26°15614.8125.3
Mar28° / 26°22120.5124.9
Apr28° / 26°20622124.5
May28° / 27°14319.812.14.8
Jun28° / 27°13919.112.14.7
Jul28° / 26°13418.812.14.9
Aug28° / 27°11215.6125.4
Sep28° / 27°8913.9125.5
Oct28° / 27°9112.8125.6
Nov28° / 27°9312.911.95.5
Dec28° / 27°18517.711.95.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
44951
54951
64951
74852
84852
94852
104852
114654
124654
134555
144555
154555
164456
174357
184357
194258
204258
214159
224060
234060
244060
254060
263862
273961
283961
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Tarawa gets around 185 mm of rain over 17.7 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 56% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
248
349
450
551
652
754
855
956
1057
1158
1258
1359
1459
1560
1660
1760
1860
1960
2060
2160
2260
2359
2459
2558
2658
2757
2857
2956
3056
3156

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 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
116633
216534
316435
416336
516237
616138
716039
805941
905842
1005743
1105644
1205545
1305446
1405446
1505347
1605248
1705248
1805248
1905149
2005149
2105149
2205149
2305149
2405149
2505149
2605149
2705149
2805149
2905149
3005149
3105149

Wind in December

Winds average 18 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of December to 11 h 54 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 6:20 AM to 6:34 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.96:206:16
211.96:206:16
311.96:216:16
411.96:216:17
511.96:226:17
611.96:226:18
711.96:226:18
811.96:236:18
911.96:236:19
1011.96:246:19
1111.96:246:20
1211.96:256:20
1311.96:256:21
1411.96:266:21
1511.96:266:22
1611.96:276:22
1711.96:276:22
1811.96:276:23
1911.96:286:23
2011.96:286:24
2111.96:296:24
2211.96:296:25
2311.96:306:25
2411.96:306:26
2511.96:316:26
2611.96:316:27
2711.96:326:27
2811.96:326:28
2911.96:336:28
3011.96:336:29
3111.96:346:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.52 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.52 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.7Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Tarawa?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Tarawa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tarawa in December

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

In December, Tarawa sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tarawa in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 July at about 29°C and coldest in February near 28°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
Jan29Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar28Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Tarawa 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 Tarawa peaks around March 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 12 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 16Jun 22UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Tarawa?

Tarawa sits at 1.3°N, 173.0°E, 6 m above sea level, in Kiribati. The nearest listed city is Dalap-Uliga-Dorrit, 664 km away.

Topography around Tarawa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tarawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m.

The land around Tarawa is covered by water (98%) within 3 km, water (99%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.

3 km
9 m
16 km
12 m
80 km
16 m
grasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Dalap-Uliga-Dorrit 664 km · Majuro 665 km · Yaren 705 km · Funafuti 1,294 km · Palikir 1,756 km · Malango 1,865 km · Panatina 1,870 km · Vura 1,872 km

Kiribati travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,559
2025
Safe drinking water
15%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
7.1
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
1.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Roman Catholic 59%Kiribati Uniting Church 21%Kiribati Protestant Church 8%Church of Jesus Christ 6%

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 Tarawa (1.3278°, 172.977°, elevation 6 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. 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).