Swakopmund weather in December

In December, Swakopmund sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-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 72% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of December to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Swakopmund's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Swakopmund's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
8th warmest
Overnight low
15°
8th coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
6:17 AM – 7:40 PM
Cloud cover
31%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
7.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.7
out of 10

Swakopmund is city in Namibia.

Founded
1892

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 Swakopmund reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12214
22214
32215
42215
52215
62215
72215
82215
92215
102215
112215
122215
132215
142215
152215
162215
172215
182215
192215
202215
212215
222215
232216
242216
252216
262216
272216
282216
292216
302216
312216

Swakopmund weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°4113.28.6
Feb24° / 17°61.112.88.7
Mar24° / 17°40.712.29.1
Apr24° / 15°40.611.59.3
May23° / 14°10.210.99.4
Jun23° / 13°00.110.69.4
Jul22° / 13°00.110.79.3
Aug20° / 11°00.111.28.6
Sep20° / 11°10.211.98.3
Oct20° / 12°0012.58.4
Nov21° / 14°10.213.18.6
Dec22° / 15°20.513.48.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1928
2928
3928
4937
5937
6937
7937
8937
9937
10937
11937
12928
13928
14928
159010
169010
179010
188911
198911
208812
218812
228713
238614
248614
258614
268515
278515
288515
298416
308416
318317

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Swakopmund gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.5 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 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
221
231
241
252
262
272
282
292
302
313

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
128711
226731
324751
422771
520791
618811
717821
816822
915832
1014842
1113852
1212862
1311863
1411863
1510873
169883
179874
188884
197885
207885
216886
226877
235878
245869
2558510
2648511
2748412
2848313
2938314
3038215
3138116

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light 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
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of December to 13 h 24 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 6:13 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 7:30 PM to 7:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.36:137:30
213.36:137:31
313.36:137:32
413.36:137:32
513.36:137:33
613.36:147:34
713.36:147:34
813.36:147:35
913.46:147:35
1013.46:157:36
1113.46:157:37
1213.46:157:37
1313.46:157:38
1413.46:167:38
1513.46:167:39
1613.46:177:40
1713.46:177:40
1813.46:177:41
1913.46:187:41
2013.46:187:42
2113.46:197:42
2213.46:197:43
2313.46:207:43
2413.46:207:44
2513.46:217:44
2613.46:217:44
2713.46:227:45
2813.46:227:45
2913.46:237:46
3013.46:237:46
3113.46:247:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.9 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.31 kWh/m² to a high of 7.9 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.9 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.9Intense
27.9Intense
37.9Intense
47.9Intense
57.9Intense
67.9Intense
77.9Intense
87.9Intense
97.9Intense
107.9Intense
117.9Intense
127.9Intense
137.9Intense
147.9Intense
157.9Intense
167.9Intense
177.9Intense
187.9Intense
197.9Intense
207.9Intense
217.9Intense
227.9Intense
237.9Intense
247.9Intense
257.9Intense
267.9Intense
277.8Intense
287.8Intense
297.8Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Swakopmund?

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

8.7
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Swakopmund in December

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

In December, Swakopmund sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

Sea temperature near Swakopmund in December

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 17 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in September near 13°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May15Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Swakopmund in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Swakopmund peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Swakopmund 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 Swakopmund is worst in July — around 39 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.6× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1138 µg/m³Jan 15 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr11Good
May27Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul39Poor
Aug26Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Swakopmund?

Swakopmund sits at 22.7°S, 14.5°E, 18 m above sea level, in Namibia. The nearest listed city is Walvis Bay, 31 km away.

OkahandjaKatuturaWindhoekRehobothOtjiwarongoMarientalLüderitz

Topography around Swakopmund

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Swakopmund has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 189 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,011 m.

The land around Swakopmund is covered by water (44%), bare terrain (33%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (49%) and bare terrain (48%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (67%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
189 m
80 km
1,011 m
shrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Walvis Bay 31 km · Okahandja 256 km · Katutura 261 km · Windhoek 263 km · Rehoboth 272 km · Otjiwarongo 330 km · Mariental 412 km · Lüderitz 446 km

Namibia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,876
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.2
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
34.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 98%unaffiliated 2%other 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 Swakopmund (-22.6784°, 14.5266°, elevation 18 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. 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).