Nacala weather in December

In December, Nacala sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 114 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nacala's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nacala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
26°
12th coldest
Rainfall
114 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
4:48 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
55%
9th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Nacala is port city in Nampula Province, Mozambique.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nacala reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12825
22825
32825
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

How December really feels in Nacala

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 16 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
16
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.

Nacala weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°20723.712.83.9
Feb28° / 26°17521.812.53.9
Mar28° / 25°19022.112.14.2
Apr28° / 25°7612.711.75.9
May27° / 24°184.511.37.8
Jun26° / 22°164.711.28.1
Jul25° / 22°154.511.28.2
Aug25° / 22°82.311.58.7
Sep26° / 22°71.311.98.9
Oct27° / 24°102.712.38.4
Nov28° / 25°26612.77.5
Dec28° / 26°11417.212.85.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27228
37129
46931
56832
66733
76535
86436
96238
105941
115842
125545
135347
145149
154951
164852
174555
184456
194456
204357
214159
224060
234060
244060
253961
263862
273763
283763
293565
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nacala gets around 114 mm of rain over 17.2 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 57% and peaks near 72% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
236
337
439
541
642
744
846
947
1049
1151
1253
1355
1457
1558
1660
1761
1862
1963
2064
2165
2266
2366
2467
2568
2668
2769
2870
2971
3071
3172

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 57% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
167420
257421
357322
457124
557025
656827
746729
846630
946432
1036433
1136235
1236136
1326137
1425939
1525840
1625741
1715643
1815544
1915346
2015247
2115148
2215049
2314950
2414851
2504753
2604753
2704654
2804555
2904456
3004456
3104357

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of December to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 4:43 AM to 4:55 AM, and sunset from 5:31 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.84:435:31
212.84:435:32
312.84:435:32
412.84:445:33
512.84:445:33
612.84:445:34
712.84:455:34
812.84:455:35
912.84:455:35
1012.84:455:36
1112.84:465:36
1212.84:465:37
1312.94:475:38
1412.94:475:38
1512.94:475:39
1612.94:485:39
1712.94:485:40
1812.94:495:40
1912.94:495:41
2012.94:495:41
2112.94:505:42
2212.94:505:42
2312.94:515:43
2412.94:515:43
2512.94:525:43
2612.94:525:44
2712.94:535:44
2812.94:535:45
2912.94:545:45
3012.94:545:46
3112.94:555:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.59 kWh/m² to a high of 7.28 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 6.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.1Intense
37.1Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nacala

In seasonPeak

In December, Nacala sits inside its cyclone and monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Nacala sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Nacala's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Nacala?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Nacala for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nacala in December

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

In December, Nacala sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Nacala in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 22 km away) is warmest in March at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Nacala in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nacala peaks around January 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 20UV 16Jun 20UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Nacala?

Nacala sits at 14.6°S, 40.7°E, 137 m above sea level, in Mozambique. The nearest listed city is Mossuril, 45 km away.

Namapa-eratiChiúreNampulaPemba

Topography around Nacala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nacala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 146 m around an average of 80 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 190 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 509 m.

The land around Nacala is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and water (38%), grassland (28%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
146 m
16 km
190 m
80 km
509 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: Mossuril 45 km · Mozambique 53 km · Monapo 57 km · Namialo 85 km · Namapa-erati 132 km · Chiúre 163 km · Nampula 164 km · Pemba 178 km

Mozambique travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$627
2025
Happiness
5.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
28%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.6
per 100k, 2011
Road deaths
30
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 465
Religion
Catholic 27%Islam 19%Pentecostal 17%Saio/Zione 16%

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 Nacala (-14.5626°, 40.6854°, elevation 137 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).