Monkey Bay weather in December

In December, Monkey Bay sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 273 mm of rain across 24.2 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-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 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Monkey Bay's 10th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Monkey Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
25°
11th coldest
Rainfall
273 mm
24.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:12 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
70%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

Monkey Bay is human settlement in Malawi.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Monkey Bay reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22825
32825
42825
52825
62825
72825
82825
92825
102825
112825
122825
132825
142825
152824
162824
172824
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

Monkey Bay weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°37727.612.73.8
Feb27° / 24°28122.412.54.2
Mar27° / 24°21822.112.14.7
Apr27° / 23°559.311.77.1
May26° / 21°51.711.48.7
Jun24° / 20°31.111.29.1
Jul23° / 19°41.511.38.8
Aug24° / 20°10.411.59.2
Sep27° / 22°10.311.98.7
Oct29° / 24°132.112.37.1
Nov29° / 25°619.212.75.6
Dec28° / 25°27324.212.84.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35446
45248
55149
64951
74753
84555
94258
104159
113862
123664
133367
143169
153070
162872
172872
182575
192575
202575
212575
222575
232575
242674
252674
262575
272476
282476
292476
302377
312278

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Monkey Bay gets around 273 mm of rain over 24.2 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 78% and peaks near 87% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
155
257
359
461
563
666
768
870
972
1074
1176
1278
1379
1480
1582
1683
1784
1884
1985
2085
2185
2286
2386
2486
2586
2686
2786
2886
2987
3087
3187

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 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
196031
285933
385735
475637
565539
665242
755144
844947
944749
1044551
1134354
1234156
1334057
1423860
1523662
1623563
1723365
1823266
1913168
2013069
2112970
2212970
2312871
2412871
2512772
2602773
2702773
2802773
2902773
3002773
3102773

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
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 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 48 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 5:07 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.85:075:53
212.85:075:54
312.85:075:54
412.85:085:55
512.85:085:55
612.85:085:56
712.85:085:57
812.85:095:57
912.85:095:58
1012.85:095:58
1112.85:105:59
1212.85:105:59
1312.85:106:00
1412.85:116:00
1512.85:116:01
1612.85:126:01
1712.85:126:02
1812.85:136:02
1912.85:136:03
2012.85:136:03
2112.85:146:04
2212.85:146:04
2312.85:156:05
2412.85:156:05
2512.85:166:06
2612.85:166:06
2712.85:176:07
2812.85:176:07
2912.85:186:07
3012.85:186:08
3112.85:196:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.63 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Monkey Bay

In seasonPeak

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

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

Monkey Bay's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Monkey Bay?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Monkey Bay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Monkey Bay in December

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

In December, Monkey Bay sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Monkey Bay in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Monkey Bay peaks around January 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 20UV 15Jun 19UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Monkey Bay 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 Monkey Bay is worst in August — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.2× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodAug 2346 µg/m³Dec 219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug46Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Monkey Bay?

Monkey Bay sits at 14.1°S, 34.9°E, 484 m above sea level, in Malawi. The nearest listed city is Mangochi, 58 km away.

MangochiSalimaDedzaMandimbaNtcheuLichingaUlonguéBalaka

Topography around Monkey Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Monkey Bay has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 486 m around an average of 540 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 660 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,695 m.

The land around Monkey Bay is covered by water (32%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (65%) within 16 km, and cropland (29%), water (25%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
486 m
16 km
660 m
80 km
1,695 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Mangochi 58 km · Salima 60 km · Dedza 71 km · Mandimba 85 km · Ntcheu 87 km · Lichinga 92 km · Ulongué 93 km · Balaka 100 km

Malawi travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 53% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$672
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.8
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
33.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 465
Religion
Protestant 34%other Christian 27%Roman Catholic 17%Muslim 14%

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 Monkey Bay (-14.0824°, 34.9165°, elevation 484 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). 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).