Kiffa weather in December

In December, Kiffa sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 33°C in the first days to 30°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 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kiffa's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kiffa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
11th warmest
Overnight low
18°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:11 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
46%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Kiffa is commune of Mauritania.

Density
53/km²
people per km²

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 30°C by the end.

A typical December day in Kiffa reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 4°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13320
23320
33320
43320
53219
63219
73219
83219
93219
103219
113219
123219
133218
143118
153118
163118
173118
183118
193118
203118
213118
223118
233118
243118
253118
263118
273118
283117
293117
303017
313017

How December really feels in Kiffa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 8 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
8
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.

Kiffa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 17°10.211.16.2
Feb33° / 19°00.111.44.4
Mar37° / 23°00.111.92.1
Apr40° / 27°0012.40.1
May42° / 30°10.312.80.0
Jun41° / 31°41130.0
Jul38° / 29°21412.91.2
Aug36° / 27°628.212.62.2
Sep37° / 27°376.412.11.6
Oct39° / 27°112.111.60.9
Nov36° / 22°10.211.22.8
Dec31° / 18°20.2115.4

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 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75941
85941
95941
105941
115941
126040
135941
145941
155941
165941
175941
185941
195941
206040
216040
226040
236040
246040
256040
266040
275941
286040
295941
306040
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kiffa gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.2 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 1% 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
161
171
181
191
201
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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
198200
298200
398200
498200
597210
697210
797210
897210
997210
1097210
1197210
1297111
1397111
1497111
1597111
1697111
1797111
1897111
1997111
2097111
2197111
2297111
23100000
24100000
25100000
26100000
27100000
28100000
29100000
30100000
31100000

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:03 AM to 7:18 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:036:08
211.17:046:08
311.17:046:08
411.17:056:08
511.17:056:09
611.17:066:09
711.07:066:09
811.07:076:09
911.07:086:10
1011.07:086:10
1111.07:096:10
1211.07:096:11
1311.07:106:11
1411.07:106:11
1511.07:116:12
1611.07:116:12
1711.07:126:13
1811.07:126:13
1911.07:136:13
2011.07:136:14
2111.07:146:14
2211.07:146:15
2311.07:156:15
2411.07:156:16
2511.07:166:16
2611.07:166:17
2711.07:176:17
2811.07:176:18
2911.07:176:18
3011.07:186:19
3111.07:186:19

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.09 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.09 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.09 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Kiffa

In seasonPeak

In December, Kiffa sits inside its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Kiffa sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Kiffa?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kiffa in December

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

In December, Kiffa sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kiffa 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 Kiffa peaks around March 19 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highExtremeVery highMar 19UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7Very high

Air quality in Kiffa 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 Kiffa is worst in January — around 133 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (September, 37 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorUnhealthyJan 17132 µg/m³Sep 1037 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan133Unhealthy
Feb123Unhealthy
Mar93Unhealthy
Apr73Unhealthy
May74Unhealthy
Jun91Unhealthy
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug38Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct55Poor
Nov68Unhealthy
Dec121Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kiffa?

Kiffa sits at 16.6°N, 11.4°W, 127 m above sea level, in Mauritania. The nearest listed city is Guerou, 85 km away.

GuerouEl ’AyoûnṬinṭâneElghabraSélibabyAyoun El AtrousMagṭa‘ LaḥjarMatam

Topography around Kiffa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kiffa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m around an average of 125 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 m.

The land around Kiffa is covered by bare terrain (43%) and grassland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (74%) and bare terrain (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (75%) and bare terrain (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
73 m
16 km
84 m
80 km
584 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Guerou 85 km · El ’Ayoûn 121 km · Ṭinṭâne 133 km · Elghabra 135 km · Sélibaby 183 km · Ayoun El Atrous 190 km · Magṭa‘ Laḥjar 205 km · Matam 225 km

Mauritania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 31% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,198
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
1
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
25.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 100%

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 Kiffa (16.6207°, -11.4021°, elevation 127 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).