Goroka weather in December

In December, Goroka sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 328 mm of rain across 28.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of December to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Goroka's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Goroka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
9th coldest
Rainfall
328 mm
28.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:04 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
93%
9th clearest
Wind
3 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Goroka is Capital city of Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea.

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Goroka reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12415
22415
32415
42415
52415
62415
72415
82415
92415
102415
112415
122415
132415
142415
152416
162416
172416
182416
192416
202416
212416
222416
232416
242416
252416
262416
272416
282416
292416
302416
312416

Goroka 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
Jan24° / 16°42528.512.33.7
Feb24° / 16°41326.712.23.6
Mar24° / 16°41729.6123.6
Apr23° / 15°25726.311.93.9
May24° / 15°1512211.74.8
Jun23° / 15°8816.711.75.5
Jul23° / 14°9616.611.75.5
Aug23° / 14°11218.111.85.4
Sep24° / 14°12919.5125.1
Oct24° / 15°16923.312.14.6
Nov24° / 15°23525.912.34.1
Dec24° / 16°32828.312.33.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 2% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 97%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1694
2694
3694
4694
5595
6496
7496
8496
9397
10397
11397
12397
13397
14397
15298
16298
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30397
31397

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Goroka gets around 328 mm of rain over 28.3 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 91% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
188
288
389
489
589
689
790
890
990
1090
1191
1291
1391
1492
1592
1692
1792
1893
1993
2093
2193
2292
2392
2492
2592
2692
2791
2891
2991
3091
3190

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1112870
2112870
3111880
4111880
5110890
6110890
719900
819900
919891
1018901
1118901
1217911
1317911
1407921
1506931
1606931
1705941
1805941
1905941
2005941
2105941
2205932
2305932
2405932
2506922
2606922
2706922
2807912
2907912
3007912
3108902

Wind in December

Winds average 3 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 3 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
273calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of December to 12 h 18 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 5:58 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:586:18
212.35:596:18
312.35:596:19
412.35:596:19
512.36:006:20
612.36:006:20
712.36:006:21
812.36:016:21
912.36:016:22
1012.36:026:22
1112.36:026:23
1212.36:026:23
1312.36:036:24
1412.36:036:24
1512.46:046:25
1612.46:046:25
1712.46:056:26
1812.46:056:26
1912.46:056:27
2012.46:066:27
2112.46:066:28
2212.46:076:28
2312.46:076:28
2412.46:086:29
2512.46:086:29
2612.46:096:30
2712.46:096:30
2812.46:106:31
2912.46:106:31
3012.36:116:32
3112.36:116:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.37 kWh/m² to a high of 5.32 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 4.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Goroka

In seasonPeak

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

Goroka's rainy season runs November–April, 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 Goroka?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Goroka.

What to pack for Goroka in December

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

In December, Goroka sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Goroka 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 Goroka peaks around March 11 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 12 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 11UV 18Jun 20UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar18Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov15Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Goroka 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 Goroka is worst in July — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.5× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1839 µg/m³Jan 246 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr7Good
May9Good
Jun19Moderate
Jul41Poor
Aug27Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Goroka?

Goroka sits at 6.1°S, 145.4°E, 1,574 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Madang, 106 km away.

MadangMount HagenBuloloMendiLaeWewakDaruPort Moresby

Topography around Goroka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Goroka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 335 m around an average of 1,549 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,179 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,443 m.

The land around Goroka is covered by trees (71%) within 3 km, trees (76%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (84%) within 80 km.

3 km
335 m
16 km
2,179 m
80 km
4,443 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Madang 106 km · Mount Hagen 130 km · Bulolo 186 km · Mendi 191 km · Lae 191 km · Wewak 342 km · Daru 410 km · Port Moresby 424 km

Papua New Guinea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 58% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,020
2025
Homicide rate
9.3
per 100k, 2010
Road deaths
12.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Roman Catholic 26%other Christian 5%non-Christian 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 Goroka (-6.085°, 145.3867°, elevation 1,574 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).