Nouakchott weather in December

In December, Nouakchott sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 4 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nouakchott's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nouakchott's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
10th warmest
Overnight low
19°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
4 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
7:32 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
42%
11th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Nouakchott is capital of Mauritania.

Density
1,185/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 28°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical December day in Nouakchott reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42819
52819
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122819
132719
142719
152719
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

How December really feels in Nouakchott

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Nouakchott weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°20.3118.6
Feb27° / 18°10.311.48.3
Mar29° / 19°00.111.97.5
Apr29° / 20°0012.47.1
May30° / 21°0012.86.5
Jun31° / 23°0013.16.0
Jul30° / 24°20.4136.9
Aug31° / 26°132.412.65.9
Sep32° / 26°182.812.14.7
Oct33° / 25°61.111.64.5
Nov31° / 22°10.211.16.0
Dec27° / 19°40.310.98.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
25941
35941
46040
55941
65941
76040
86040
96040
106040
116040
126139
136139
146139
156238
166238
176238
186337
196337
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256535
266535
276634
286535
296535
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nouakchott gets around 4 mm of rain over 0.3 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 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
52
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
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 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16915133
27114123
37114123
47313113
57412113
67512103
77512103
8771193
9771193
10781183
11781183
12781183
13791173
14791173
15791173
16791173
17811072
18811072
19821062
20821062
21831052
2284952
2384952
2485942
2585942
2687832
2788831
2889821
2989821
3089821
3191711

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 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
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220breezy
2320breezy
2420breezy
2520breezy
2620breezy
2720breezy
2820breezy
2920breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of December to 10 h 54 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 7:24 AM to 7:39 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:246:23
211.07:246:24
311.07:256:24
411.07:266:24
511.07:266:24
611.07:276:24
711.07:276:25
810.97:286:25
910.97:296:25
1010.97:296:26
1110.97:306:26
1210.97:306:26
1310.97:316:27
1410.97:316:27
1510.97:326:27
1610.97:326:28
1710.97:336:28
1810.97:336:29
1910.97:346:29
2010.97:346:29
2110.97:356:30
2210.97:356:30
2310.97:366:31
2410.97:366:31
2510.97:376:32
2610.97:376:32
2710.97:386:33
2810.97:386:33
2910.97:386:34
3010.97:396:34
3110.97:396:35

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.87 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.87 kWh/m² to a high of 7.52 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 4.87 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nouakchott

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Nouakchott?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
8.4
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Nouakchott for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Nouakchott in December

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

In December, Nouakchott sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Nouakchott in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in September at about 27°C and coldest in April near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 2 to Dec 23 — about 6.7 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May19Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct25Warm
Nov23Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Nouakchott in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nouakchott peaks around March 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highHighMar 16UV 12Dec 16UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov7Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Nouakchott 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 Nouakchott is worst in January — around 154 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 2.5× the cleanest month (August, 60 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJan 15152 µg/m³Aug 1962 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan154Very unhealthy
Feb141Unhealthy
Mar110Unhealthy
Apr105Unhealthy
May113Unhealthy
Jun127Unhealthy
Jul79Unhealthy
Aug60Unhealthy
Sep71Unhealthy
Oct86Unhealthy
Nov88Unhealthy
Dec145Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Nouakchott?

Nouakchott sits at 18.1°N, 16.0°W, 10 m above sea level, in Mauritania. The nearest listed city is Tevragh Zeina, 2.0 km away.

BoutilimittRossoTékaneRichard-TollDagana

Topography around Nouakchott

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nouakchott has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 27 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 70 m.

The land around Nouakchott is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) and bare terrain (22%) within 3 km, bare terrain (60%) and water (30%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (65%) and water (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
18 m
16 km
27 m
80 km
70 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Tevragh Zeina 2.0 km · Ksar 3.0 km · Dar Naim 6.0 km · Boutilimitt 148 km · Rosso 176 km · Tékane 178 km · Richard-Toll 183 km · Dagana 183 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 Nouakchott (18.0858°, -15.9785°, elevation 10 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).