Bamako weather in December

In December, Bamako sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bamako's 4th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bamako's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
8th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:50 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
35%
4th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Bamako is building in Bamako, Mali.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical December day in Bamako reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13419
23319
33319
43319
53319
63319
73319
83319
93319
103319
113319
123319
133319
143318
153218
163218
173218
183218
193218
203218
213218
223218
233218
243218
253218
263218
273218
283218
293218
303218
313218

How December really feels in Bamako

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 25 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
25
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.

Bamako weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°20.211.35.2
Feb35° / 21°10.111.63.4
Mar38° / 24°20.611.91.6
Apr39° / 27°72.212.30.8
May37° / 27°327.412.61.4
Jun34° / 25°9214.312.72.7
Jul30° / 23°19822.112.73.4
Aug29° / 23°25324.312.43.5
Sep30° / 23°16420.412.13.6
Oct33° / 23°499.311.73.7
Nov34° / 20°20.411.43.7
Dec32° / 18°0011.34.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37228
47228
57228
67327
77327
87228
97228
107228
117228
127327
137327
147327
157327
167327
177426
187426
197426
207525
217525
227624
237624
247624
257624
267624
277624
287723
297723
307624
317525

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bamako gets around 0 mm of rain over 0 wet days in December, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 0% and peaks near 0% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
220
230
240
250
260
270
280
290
300
310

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
190721
293610
393610
494510
594510
695410
795410
895410
997300
1097300
1197300
1297300
1397300
1497300
1598200
1698200
1798200
1898200
1998200
2098200
2199100
2299100
2399100
2499100
2599100
26100000
27100000
28100000
29100000
30100000
3199010

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 18 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 6:42 AM to 6:57 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:426:01
211.36:436:01
311.36:436:01
411.36:446:02
511.36:446:02
611.36:456:02
711.36:456:03
811.36:466:03
911.36:476:03
1011.36:476:04
1111.36:486:04
1211.36:486:04
1311.36:496:05
1411.36:496:05
1511.36:506:06
1611.36:506:06
1711.36:516:06
1811.36:516:07
1911.36:526:07
2011.36:526:08
2111.36:536:08
2211.36:536:09
2311.36:546:09
2411.36:546:10
2511.36:556:10
2611.36:556:11
2711.36:556:11
2811.36:566:12
2911.36:566:12
3011.36:576:13
3111.36:576:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.55 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.81 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bamako

In seasonPeak

None of Bamako's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Bamako's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Bamako sees seasonal dust haze (February–July), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Bamako?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Bamako in December

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

In December, Bamako sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Bamako in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bamako peaks around March 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 17UV 13Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Bamako 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 Bamako is worst in February — around 67 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.8× the cleanest month (August, 18 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 2166 µg/m³Aug 1418 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan57Unhealthy
Feb67Unhealthy
Mar66Unhealthy
Apr56Unhealthy
May36Poor
Jun32Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct44Poor
Nov58Unhealthy
Dec59Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Bamako?

Bamako sits at 12.6°N, 8.0°W, 374 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Kalaban Koro, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Bamako

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bamako has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m around an average of 335 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 274 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m.

The land around Bamako is covered by artificial surfaces (73%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (41%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (45%), grassland (25%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
71 m
16 km
274 m
80 km
403 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Kalaban Koro 7.0 km · Sirakoro Méguétana 8.0 km · Dialakorodji 11 km · Kabala 12 km · Sangarébougou 13 km · Moribabougou 15 km · Kati 18 km · Sibi 47 km

Mali travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,193
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
22.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 408
Religion
Muslim 94%Christian 3%none 3%animist 1%

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 Bamako (12.6091°, -7.9752°, elevation 374 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).