San weather in December

In December, San sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0 wet days and about 11.2 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 34°C in the first days to 32°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% 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 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is San's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
9th warmest
Overnight low
18°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0 wet days
Daylight
11 h 12 min
6:39 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover
34%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

San is town in Mali.

Density
666/km²
people per km²
Founded
1400

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 34°C in the first days to 32°C by the end.

A typical December day in San reaches about 33°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 30°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13420
23419
33419
43419
53419
63319
73319
83319
93319
103319
113319
123319
133319
143318
153318
163318
173318
183318
193218
203218
213218
223218
233218
243218
253218
263218
273218
283218
293217
303217
313217

How December really feels in San

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.

San weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°10.211.35.3
Feb35° / 21°0011.63.4
Mar38° / 24°10.411.91.3
Apr40° / 27°92.612.30.3
May39° / 28°205.912.60.6
Jun36° / 27°4310.412.81.9
Jul33° / 25°12317.412.73.0
Aug31° / 24°19620.912.43.3
Sep32° / 24°10714.812.13.5
Oct35° / 24°265.811.72.7
Nov35° / 21°10.211.43.0
Dec33° / 18°0011.24.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47327
57327
67327
77228
87228
97228
107228
117228
127228
137228
147228
157327
167327
177327
187426
197426
207525
217624
227624
237624
247624
257624
267624
277624
287723
297624
307624
317525

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San 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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19721
29721
39721
49811
59811
69811
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
1410000
1510000
1610000
1710000
1810000
1910000
2010000
2110000
2210000
2310000
2410000
2510000
2610000
2710000
2810000
2910000
3010000
3110000

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 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 shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:31 AM to 6:46 AM, and sunset from 5:48 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:315:48
211.36:325:48
311.36:325:48
411.36:335:48
511.36:335:49
611.26:345:49
711.26:345:49
811.26:355:49
911.26:355:50
1011.26:365:50
1111.26:375:50
1211.26:375:51
1311.26:385:51
1411.26:385:52
1511.26:395:52
1611.26:395:52
1711.26:405:53
1811.26:405:53
1911.26:415:54
2011.26:415:54
2111.26:425:55
2211.26:425:55
2311.26:435:56
2411.26:435:56
2511.26:435:56
2611.26:445:57
2711.26:445:57
2811.26:455:58
2911.26:455:58
3011.26:465:59
3111.26:466:00

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.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.35 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.52 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
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
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for San

In seasonPeak

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

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

San sees seasonal dust haze (February–July), heaviest in April.

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

Is December a good time to visit San?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for San in December

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

In December, San sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in San 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 San peaks around March 17 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 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 13Jan 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb10Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in San 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 San is worst in March — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.7× the cleanest month (August, 14 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorMar 1068 µg/m³Aug 1815 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan55Poor
Feb67Unhealthy
Mar68Unhealthy
Apr56Unhealthy
May41Poor
Jun33Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec46Poor
Location & terrain

Where is San?

San sits at 13.3°N, 4.9°W, 277 m above sea level, in Mali. The nearest listed city is Djenné, 77 km away.

BlaYorossoDiourouMoninnpébougouKoutialaKouri

Topography around San

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around San has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 278 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 205 m.

The land around San is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and cropland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (40%) and cropland (38%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%), cropland (30%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
39 m
80 km
205 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Djenné 77 km · Ké-Macina 89 km · Bla 101 km · Yorosso 105 km · Diourou 110 km · Moninnpébougou 116 km · Koutiala 118 km · Kouri 124 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 San (13.297°, -4.8963°, elevation 277 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).