Kayes weather in December

In December, Kayes sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of December to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kayes's 7th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kayes's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
9th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
7:07 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
45%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Kayes is city in Mali.

Founded
1880

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 35°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kayes reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13521
23521
33521
43521
53521
63520
73420
83420
93420
103420
113420
123420
133420
143420
153420
163420
173420
183420
193420
203420
213420
223420
233420
243420
253420
263319
273319
283319
293319
303319
313319

How December really feels in Kayes

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.

Kayes weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 20°00.111.24.3
Feb36° / 22°0011.52.6
Mar39° / 25°0011.90.6
Apr42° / 28°00.112.30.0
May42° / 30°51.312.70.0
Jun39° / 29°244.512.80.6
Jul35° / 26°9811.212.82.6
Aug32° / 25°16015.112.53.3
Sep33° / 25°10811.212.13.3
Oct36° / 25°244.511.72.2
Nov36° / 22°10.211.32.2
Dec34° / 20°10.111.23.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56139
66139
76238
86139
96139
106238
116238
126139
136238
146238
156238
166238
176238
186238
196337
206436
216535
226535
236535
246535
256535
266535
276535
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kayes gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
10
20
30
40
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1881020
290910
390910
491810
591810
692710
793610
893610
994510
1095410
1194411
1295311
1395311
1496211
1596211
1696211
1797111
1897111
1997111
2097111
2197111
2299010
23100000
24100000
25100000
26100000
27100000
28100000
29100000
30100000
3199100

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 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of December to 11 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 6:59 AM to 7:14 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:596:12
211.27:006:12
311.27:006:12
411.27:016:12
511.27:026:13
611.27:026:13
711.27:036:13
811.27:036:14
911.27:046:14
1011.27:046:14
1111.27:056:15
1211.27:056:15
1311.27:066:15
1411.27:066:16
1511.27:076:16
1611.17:076:16
1711.17:086:17
1811.17:086:17
1911.17:096:18
2011.17:096:18
2111.17:106:19
2211.17:106:19
2311.17:116:20
2411.17:116:20
2511.17:126:21
2611.17:126:21
2711.17:136:22
2811.17:136:22
2911.27:136:23
3011.27:146:23
3111.27:146:24

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.73 kWh/m² to a high of 7.29 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kayes

In seasonPeak

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

Kayes sees seasonal dust haze (February–October), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Kayes?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kayes. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kayes in December

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

In December, Kayes sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kayes in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kayes peaks around August 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highAug 18UV 13Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Kayes 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 Kayes is worst in November — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (August, 16 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModerateUnhealthyNov 1567 µg/m³Aug 1816 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan57Unhealthy
Feb67Unhealthy
Mar61Unhealthy
Apr50Poor
May48Poor
Jun41Poor
Jul22Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct60Unhealthy
Nov68Unhealthy
Dec57Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kayes?

Kayes sits at 14.4°N, 11.4°W, 47 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Bafoulabé, 97 km away.

SélibabyEl ’AyoûnMahinaNioroKanelKédougouMatam

Topography around Kayes

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kayes has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 561 m.

The land around Kayes is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) and shrubs (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
27 m
16 km
328 m
80 km
561 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Bafoulabé 97 km · Sélibaby 112 km · El ’Ayoûn 127 km · Mahina 157 km · Nioro 217 km · Kanel 219 km · Kédougou 225 km · Matam 236 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 Kayes (14.4478°, -11.4439°, elevation 47 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).