Windhoek weather in December

In December, Windhoek sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 64 mm of rain across 7.9 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. 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 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 Windhoek's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Windhoek's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
7.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
6:07 AM – 7:29 PM
Cloud cover
43%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
7.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Windhoek is capital of the Republic of Namibia.

Founded
1840

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Windhoek reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13016
23016
33016
43016
53016
63016
73016
83016
93016
103016
113016
123016
133016
143016
153016
163016
173016
183017
193017
203017
213017
223017
233017
243017
253017
263017
273017
283017
293017
303017
313017

Windhoek weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 17°13112.813.25.2
Feb28° / 16°1431312.85.7
Mar27° / 15°8911.812.26.5
Apr25° / 12°294.811.58.2
May23° / 40.610.99.3
Jun21° / 00.110.69.0
Jul21° / 00.110.88.9
Aug23° / 00.111.29.5
Sep27° / 11°51.111.98.6
Oct29° / 14°133.512.56.7
Nov30° / 15°345.813.16.0
Dec30° / 16°647.913.45.3

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 25% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27327
37327
47327
57327
67426
77525
87525
97525
107624
117723
127723
137624
147624
157525
167525
177426
187327
197228
207129
217030
226832
236832
246733
256535
266535
276337
286337
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Windhoek gets around 64 mm of rain over 7.9 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 26% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
327
426
526
626
726
825
925
1024
1124
1224
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1824
1924
2024
2125
2226
2327
2428
2528
2629
2730
2831
2932
3033
3134

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
188111
287121
387121
487121
587121
687121
787121
888111
988111
1088111
1189101
1289101
1389101
148992
158992
168992
179082
188983
198893
208794
218794
2285105
2385105
2483116
2582126
2680137
2779147
2877158
2976168
3075178
3174188

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 6:03 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 7:20 PM to 7:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.36:037:20
213.36:037:21
313.36:037:21
413.36:037:22
513.36:037:23
613.36:047:23
713.36:047:24
813.36:047:24
913.36:047:25
1013.46:057:26
1113.46:057:26
1213.46:057:27
1313.46:067:27
1413.46:067:28
1513.46:067:29
1613.46:077:29
1713.46:077:30
1813.46:077:30
1913.46:087:31
2013.46:087:31
2113.46:097:32
2213.46:097:32
2313.46:107:33
2413.46:107:33
2513.46:117:33
2613.46:117:34
2713.46:127:34
2813.46:127:35
2913.46:137:35
3013.46:137:35
3113.46:147:36

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 4.67 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
98.0Intense
108.0Intense
118.0Intense
128.0Intense
138.0Intense
148.0Intense
158.0Intense
168.0Intense
178.0Intense
188.0Intense
197.9Intense
207.9Intense
217.9Intense
227.9Intense
237.9Intense
247.8Intense
257.8Intense
267.8Intense
277.8Intense
287.8Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Windhoek

In seasonPeak

None of Windhoek's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Windhoek's rainy season runs January–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Windhoek?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Windhoek in December

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

In December, Windhoek sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Windhoek in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Windhoek peaks around January 14 at about 16 (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 14UV 16Jun 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May8Very high
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Windhoek 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 Windhoek is worst in August — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateAug 1731 µg/m³Jan 1711 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct22Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Windhoek?

Windhoek sits at 22.6°S, 17.1°E, 1,700 m above sea level, in Namibia. The nearest listed city is Katutura, 5.0 km away.

RehobothGobabisOtjiwarongoMarientalSwakopmundWalvis Bay

Topography around Windhoek

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Windhoek has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 206 m around an average of 1,673 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,012 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,502 m.

The land around Windhoek is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) and shrubs (28%) within 3 km, shrubs (82%) within 16 km, and shrubs (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
206 m
16 km
1,012 m
80 km
1,502 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Katutura 5.0 km · Okahandja 67 km · Rehoboth 84 km · Gobabis 194 km · Otjiwarongo 237 km · Mariental 247 km · Swakopmund 263 km · Walvis Bay 268 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 Windhoek (-22.5594°, 17.0832°, elevation 1,700 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).