Nouadhibou weather in December

In December, Nouadhibou sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. 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 10 h 48 min at the start of December to 10 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nouadhibou's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nouadhibou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
10th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:42 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
36%
11th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

Nouadhibou is city in Mauritania.

Founded
1906

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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nouadhibou reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12218
22218
32218
42218
52218
62218
72218
82218
92218
102218
112217
122217
132217
142217
152217
162117
172117
182117
192117
202117
212117
222117
232117
242117
252117
262117
272117
282117
292117
302117
312117

Nouadhibou weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 16°30.510.98.5
Feb21° / 17°10.311.38.6
Mar22° / 17°20.211.98.9
Apr22° / 18°00.112.58.8
May22° / 18°00.1139.1
Jun24° / 19°0013.29.6
Jul24° / 21°0013.19.7
Aug26° / 22°20.212.79.2
Sep27° / 23°20.512.18.8
Oct25° / 21°40.511.58.9
Nov23° / 19°10.2118.9
Dec22° / 17°10.210.88.5

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 8% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36832
46931
56931
66931
77030
87030
97030
107129
117129
127129
137129
147129
157129
167129
177030
187030
196931
206931
216832
226832
236832
246832
256733
266832
276832
286931
297030
307030
317129

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nouadhibou gets around 1 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 0% and peaks near 1% 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
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

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 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14629204
24828194
35127184
45127184
55326174
65525164
75525164
85625154
95725153
105725153
115725153
125725153
135824153
145724163
155724163
165823163
175823163
185823163
195922163
205922163
216022153
226022153
236122143
246222133
256521122
266621112
276621112
286721102
29682192
30692191
31702181

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1220breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920breezy
2020breezy
2120breezy
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of December to 10 h 42 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 7:33 AM to 7:49 AM, and sunset from 6:22 PM to 6:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.87:336:22
210.87:346:23
310.87:356:23
410.87:356:23
510.87:366:23
610.87:366:23
710.87:376:24
810.87:386:24
910.87:386:24
1010.87:396:24
1110.87:396:25
1210.77:406:25
1310.77:416:25
1410.77:416:26
1510.77:426:26
1610.77:426:26
1710.77:436:27
1810.77:436:27
1910.77:446:28
2010.77:446:28
2110.77:456:28
2210.77:456:29
2310.77:466:29
2410.77:466:30
2510.77:476:30
2610.77:476:31
2710.77:486:31
2810.77:486:32
2910.77:486:33
3010.77:496:33
3110.77:496:34

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.53 kWh/m² to a high of 7.6 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.6Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nouadhibou

In seasonPeak

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

Nouadhibou sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Nouadhibou sees seasonal dust haze (May–October), heaviest in July.

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

Is December a good time to visit Nouadhibou?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Nouadhibou for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Nouadhibou in December

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

In December, Nouadhibou sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: sun protection and a windbreaker.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Nouadhibou in December

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 23°C and coldest in January near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 6 to Nov 9 — about 4.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul21Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Nouadhibou in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nouadhibou peaks around March 21 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highHighMar 21UV 10Dec 19UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb9Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr10Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov7High
Dec5High

Air quality in Nouadhibou 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 Nouadhibou is worst in January — around 68 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 22 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 1267 µg/m³May 922 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan68Unhealthy
Feb57Unhealthy
Mar43Poor
Apr23Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul32Moderate
Aug35Moderate
Sep40Poor
Oct34Moderate
Nov35Poor
Dec64Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Nouadhibou?

Nouadhibou sits at 20.9°N, 17.0°W, 16 m above sea level, in Mauritania. The nearest listed city is Akjoujt, 307 km away.

AkjoujtDakhlaTevragh ZeinaKsarDar NaimNouakchottAtarBoutilimitt

Topography around Nouadhibou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nouadhibou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 71 m.

The land around Nouadhibou is covered by bare terrain (62%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, water (77%) and bare terrain (21%) within 16 km, and water (53%) and bare terrain (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
29 m
80 km
71 m
grasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Akjoujt 307 km · Dakhla 325 km · Tevragh Zeina 335 km · Ksar 336 km · Dar Naim 336 km · Nouakchott 336 km · Atar 418 km · Boutilimitt 451 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 Nouadhibou (20.9419°, -17.0384°, elevation 16 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).