Lafia weather in December

In December, Lafia sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lafia's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lafia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
5th warmest
Overnight low
21°
1st coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:37 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
30%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Lafia is Nasarawa State capital and local government area of Nigeria.

Founded
~17 CE

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 35°C through the month.

A typical December day in Lafia reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13522
23522
33522
43521
53521
63521
73521
83521
93521
103521
113521
123521
133521
143521
153521
163521
173521
183521
193520
203520
213520
223520
233520
243520
253520
263520
273520
283520
293520
303520
313520

How December really feels in Lafia

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 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
31
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.

Lafia weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 21°10.211.63.1
Feb37° / 24°30.511.72.1
Mar37° / 26°12211.91.6
Apr36° / 26°345.712.22.3
May33° / 25°9513.812.43.1
Jun31° / 24°1401912.53.5
Jul29° / 23°18525.912.43.3
Aug29° / 23°25227.312.33.2
Sep30° / 23°19023.2123.4
Oct31° / 23°7914.511.83.9
Nov34° / 22°4111.63.8
Dec35° / 21°10.111.53.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 66% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 20%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27327
37327
47426
57426
67624
77624
87723
97822
107822
118020
128119
138119
148218
158218
168317
178317
188317
198416
208416
218416
228416
238317
248218
258218
268218
278218
288119
298020
308020
317921

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lafia gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.1 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
31
41
51
61
71
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
190
200
210
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 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1331621228
2351620218
3371620217
4391619206
5411519196
6441518185
7461518175
8491417164
9511416154
10541415143
11561414133
12601313122
13621312112
14641311102
1567131091
167012981
177212871
187512760
197711750
207911640
218011540
228111530
238210530
248210530
258310520
268310520
27849520
28849520
29849520
30849520
31848620

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:44 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:296:02
211.56:306:02
311.56:306:02
411.56:316:03
511.56:316:03
611.56:326:03
711.56:326:04
811.56:336:04
911.56:336:05
1011.56:346:05
1111.56:346:05
1211.56:356:06
1311.56:356:06
1411.56:366:06
1511.56:366:07
1611.56:376:07
1711.56:376:08
1811.56:386:08
1911.56:386:09
2011.56:396:09
2111.56:396:10
2211.56:406:10
2311.56:406:11
2411.56:416:11
2511.56:416:11
2611.56:426:12
2711.56:426:12
2811.56:426:13
2911.56:436:13
3011.56:436:14
3111.56:446:14

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.35 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lafia

In seasonPeak

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

Lafia's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Lafia sees seasonal dust haze (January–May), heaviest in February.

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

Is December a good time to visit Lafia?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lafia. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Lafia in December

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

In December, Lafia sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Lafia in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lafia peaks around September 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highSep 17UV 12Dec 18UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb8Very high
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Lafia 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 Lafia is worst in January — around 113 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.4× the cleanest month (July, 26 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyJan 20111 µg/m³Jul 1826 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan113Unhealthy
Feb104Unhealthy
Mar74Unhealthy
Apr58Unhealthy
May35Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct44Poor
Nov54Poor
Dec90Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Lafia?

Lafia sits at 8.5°N, 8.5°E, 179 m above sea level, in Nigeria. The nearest listed city is Doma, 21 km away.

KeffiMakurdiNasarawaIgborKafanchan

Topography around Lafia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lafia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 m around an average of 178 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 166 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,323 m.

The land around Lafia is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, cropland (78%) within 16 km, and cropland (54%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
82 m
16 km
166 m
80 km
1,323 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Doma 21 km · Akwanga 48 km · Wamba 51 km · Keffi 81 km · Makurdi 85 km · Nasarawa 89 km · Igbor 116 km · Kafanchan 123 km

Nigeria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 13% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,224
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
15.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 569
Religion
Muslim 54%other Christian 35%Roman Catholic 11%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 Lafia (8.4939°, 8.5153°, elevation 179 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).