Lae weather in December

In December, Lae sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 682 mm of rain across 26.3 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of December to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lae's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lae's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 27°; 4th warmest
Overnight low: 24°; 10th coldest
Rainfall: 682 mm; 26.3 wet days
Daylight: 12 h 24 min; 5:57 AM – 6:20 PM
Cloud cover: 89%; 9th clearest
Wind: 4 km/h; 9th windiest
Solar energy: 4.32 kWh/m²
Travel score: 3.8; out of 10

Lae is city in Papua New Guinea.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Lae year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Lae reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27
Avg low (°C)	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24	24

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	24
2	27	24
3	27	24
4	27	24
5	27	24
6	27	24
7	27	24
8	27	24
9	27	24
10	27	24
11	27	24
12	27	24
13	27	24
14	27	24
15	27	24
16	27	24
17	27	24
18	27	24
19	27	24
20	27	24
21	27	24
22	27	24
23	27	24
24	27	24
25	27	24
26	27	24
27	27	24
28	27	24
29	27	24
30	27	24
31	27	24

Lae weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	28° / 24°	573	25.7	12.3	3.8
Feb	28° / 24°	425	22.9	12.2	3.9
Mar	27° / 24°	618	26.2	12	3.8
Apr	27° / 24°	697	24.4	11.9	4.0
May	26° / 24°	652	24.4	11.7	4.2
Jun	26° / 23°	592	23.6	11.6	4.3
Jul	25° / 23°	518	24.8	11.6	4.3
Aug	25° / 23°	525	25.1	11.8	4.4
Sep	26° / 23°	466	22.9	12	4.5
Oct	26° / 23°	489	23.1	12.1	4.5
Nov	27° / 24°	580	23.2	12.3	4.2
Dec	27° / 24°	682	26.3	12.4	3.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 92%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	14	13	12	12	12	11	10	10	8	8	7	7	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Cloudier (%)	86	87	88	88	88	89	90	90	92	92	93	93	94	94	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	94	94	94	94	94	94	94	94

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	13	87
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	10	90
8	10	90
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	7	93
12	7	93
13	6	94
14	6	94
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	5	95
18	5	95
19	5	95
20	5	95
21	5	95
22	5	95
23	5	95
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	6	94
28	6	94
29	6	94
30	6	94
31	6	94

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lae gets around 682 mm of rain over 26.3 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 84% and peaks near 88% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	77	77	78	78	79	80	80	81	82	83	83	84	85	85	86	86	87	87	88	88	88	88	88	87	87	87	87	86	86	85	85

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	77
3	78
4	78
5	79
6	80
7	80
8	81
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	85
14	85
15	86
16	86
17	87
18	87
19	88
20	88
21	88
22	88
23	88
24	87
25	87
26	87
27	87
28	86
29	86
30	85
31	85

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 97% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Muggy (%)	5	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3
Oppressive (%)	95	95	95	95	96	96	96	96	97	97	97	97	98	98	98	98	99	99	99	99	99	99	99	98	98	98	97	97	97	97	96
Miserable (%)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	5	95	0
2	5	95	0
3	5	95	0
4	5	95	0
5	4	96	0
6	4	96	0
7	4	96	0
8	4	96	0
9	3	97	0
10	3	97	0
11	3	97	0
12	3	97	0
13	2	98	0
14	2	98	0
15	2	98	0
16	2	98	0
17	1	99	0
18	1	99	0
19	1	99	0
20	1	99	0
21	1	99	0
22	1	99	0
23	1	99	0
24	1	98	1
25	1	98	1
26	1	98	1
27	2	97	1
28	2	97	1
29	2	97	1
30	2	97	1
31	3	96	1

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	4	calm
2	4	calm
3	4	calm
4	4	calm
5	4	calm
6	4	calm
7	4	calm
8	4	calm
9	4	calm
10	4	calm
11	4	calm
12	4	calm
13	4	calm
14	4	calm
15	4	calm
16	4	calm
17	4	calm
18	4	calm
19	4	calm
20	4	calm
21	4	calm
22	4	calm
23	4	calm
24	4	calm
25	4	calm
26	4	calm
27	4	calm
28	4	calm
29	4	calm
30	4	calm
31	4	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of December to 12 h 24 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 5:51 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:27 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4	12.4
Sunrise (AM)	5:51	5:51	5:52	5:52	5:52	5:53	5:53	5:53	5:54	5:54	5:54	5:55	5:55	5:56	5:56	5:57	5:57	5:57	5:58	5:58	5:59	5:59	6:00	6:00	6:01	6:01	6:02	6:02	6:03	6:03	6:04
Sunset (PM)	6:13	6:13	6:14	6:14	6:15	6:15	6:15	6:16	6:16	6:17	6:17	6:18	6:18	6:19	6:19	6:20	6:20	6:21	6:21	6:22	6:22	6:23	6:23	6:24	6:24	6:25	6:25	6:25	6:26	6:26	6:27

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	12.4	5:51	6:13
2	12.4	5:51	6:13
3	12.4	5:52	6:14
4	12.4	5:52	6:14
5	12.4	5:52	6:15
6	12.4	5:53	6:15
7	12.4	5:53	6:15
8	12.4	5:53	6:16
9	12.4	5:54	6:16
10	12.4	5:54	6:17
11	12.4	5:54	6:17
12	12.4	5:55	6:18
13	12.4	5:55	6:18
14	12.4	5:56	6:19
15	12.4	5:56	6:19
16	12.4	5:57	6:20
17	12.4	5:57	6:20
18	12.4	5:57	6:21
19	12.4	5:58	6:21
20	12.4	5:58	6:22
21	12.4	5:59	6:22
22	12.4	5:59	6:23
23	12.4	6:00	6:23
24	12.4	6:00	6:24
25	12.4	6:01	6:24
26	12.4	6:01	6:25
27	12.4	6:02	6:25
28	12.4	6:02	6:25
29	12.4	6:03	6:26
30	12.4	6:03	6:26
31	12.4	6:04	6:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.28 kWh/m² to a high of 4.64 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 4.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.5	Bright
2	4.5	Bright
3	4.5	Bright
4	4.5	Bright
5	4.5	Bright
6	4.5	Bright
7	4.5	Bright
8	4.4	Bright
9	4.4	Bright
10	4.4	Bright
11	4.4	Bright
12	4.4	Bright
13	4.3	Bright
14	4.3	Bright
15	4.3	Bright
16	4.3	Bright
17	4.3	Bright
18	4.3	Bright
19	4.3	Bright
20	4.3	Bright
21	4.3	Bright
22	4.3	Bright
23	4.3	Bright
24	4.3	Bright
25	4.4	Bright
26	4.4	Bright
27	4.4	Bright
28	4.4	Bright
29	4.5	Bright
30	4.5	Bright
31	4.5	Bright

Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lae

In seasonPeak

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

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

Cyclone

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Is December a good time to visit Lae?

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

3.8

Sightseeing

10th-best month of the year

4.0

Beach & pool

9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lae.

What to pack for Lae in December

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

In December, Lae sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Lae in December

The nearest coast averages about 30°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 January at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	30	30	30	30	29	29	28	28	28	29	30	30
Comfort	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Warm	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical	Tropical

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	30	Tropical
Feb	30	Tropical
Mar	30	Tropical
Apr	30	Tropical
May	29	Tropical
Jun	29	Tropical
Jul	28	Tropical
Aug	28	Warm
Sep	28	Tropical
Oct	29	Tropical
Nov	30	Tropical
Dec	30	Tropical

UV index in Lae 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 Lae peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	15	16	16	14	12	10	11	12	14	15	14	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	15	Extreme
Feb	16	Extreme
Mar	16	Extreme
Apr	14	Extreme
May	12	Extreme
Jun	10	Extreme
Jul	11	Extreme
Aug	12	Extreme
Sep	14	Extreme
Oct	15	Extreme
Nov	14	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Lae?

Lae sits at 6.7°S, 147.0°E, 44 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Bulolo, 66 km away.

Topography around Lae

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lae has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 181 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,440 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,081 m.

The land around Lae is covered by trees (44%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and water (35%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and water (22%) within 80 km.

3 km

181 m

trees 44%

16 km

1,440 m

trees 57%

80 km

4,081 m

trees 69%

treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves

← November Lae year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Bulolo 66 km · Goroka 191 km · Madang 214 km · Popondetta 265 km · Port Moresby 307 km · Mount Hagen 320 km · Kimbe 371 km · Mendi 375 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

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 Lae (-6.7233°, 146.9961°, elevation 44 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	24
2	27	24
3	27	24
4	27	24
5	27	24
6	27	24
7	27	24
8	27	24
9	27	24
10	27	24
11	27	24
12	27	24
13	27	24
14	27	24
15	27	24
16	27	24
17	27	24
18	27	24
19	27	24
20	27	24
21	27	24
22	27	24
23	27	24
24	27	24
25	27	24
26	27	24
27	27	24
28	27	24
29	27	24
30	27	24
31	27	24

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	13	87
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	10	90
8	10	90
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	7	93
12	7	93
13	6	94
14	6	94
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	5	95
18	5	95
19	5	95
20	5	95
21	5	95
22	5	95
23	5	95
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	6	94
28	6	94
29	6	94
30	6	94
31	6	94

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	77
3	78
4	78
5	79
6	80
7	80
8	81
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	85
14	85
15	86
16	86
17	87
18	87
19	88
20	88
21	88
22	88
23	88
24	87
25	87
26	87
27	87
28	86
29	86
30	85
31	85

	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	5	95	0
2	5	95	0
3	5	95	0
4	5	95	0
5	4	96	0
6	4	96	0
7	4	96	0
8	4	96	0
9	3	97	0
10	3	97	0
11	3	97	0
12	3	97	0
13	2	98	0
14	2	98	0
15	2	98	0
16	2	98	0
17	1	99	0
18	1	99	0
19	1	99	0
20	1	99	0
21	1	99	0
22	1	99	0
23	1	99	0
24	1	98	1
25	1	98	1
26	1	98	1
27	2	97	1
28	2	97	1
29	2	97	1
30	2	97	1
31	3	96	1

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	24
2	27	24
3	27	24
4	27	24
5	27	24
6	27	24
7	27	24
8	27	24
9	27	24
10	27	24
11	27	24
12	27	24
13	27	24
14	27	24
15	27	24
16	27	24
17	27	24
18	27	24
19	27	24
20	27	24
21	27	24
22	27	24
23	27	24
24	27	24
25	27	24
26	27	24
27	27	24
28	27	24
29	27	24
30	27	24
31	27	24

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	13	87
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	10	90
8	10	90
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	7	93
12	7	93
13	6	94
14	6	94
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	5	95
18	5	95
19	5	95
20	5	95
21	5	95
22	5	95
23	5	95
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	6	94
28	6	94
29	6	94
30	6	94
31	6	94

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	77
3	78
4	78
5	79
6	80
7	80
8	81
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	85
14	85
15	86
16	86
17	87
18	87
19	88
20	88
21	88
22	88
23	88
24	87
25	87
26	87
27	87
28	86
29	86
30	85
31	85

	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	5	95	0
2	5	95	0
3	5	95	0
4	5	95	0
5	4	96	0
6	4	96	0
7	4	96	0
8	4	96	0
9	3	97	0
10	3	97	0
11	3	97	0
12	3	97	0
13	2	98	0
14	2	98	0
15	2	98	0
16	2	98	0
17	1	99	0
18	1	99	0
19	1	99	0
20	1	99	0
21	1	99	0
22	1	99	0
23	1	99	0
24	1	98	1
25	1	98	1
26	1	98	1
27	2	97	1
28	2	97	1
29	2	97	1
30	2	97	1
31	3	96	1

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	27	24
2	27	24
3	27	24
4	27	24
5	27	24
6	27	24
7	27	24
8	27	24
9	27	24
10	27	24
11	27	24
12	27	24
13	27	24
14	27	24
15	27	24
16	27	24
17	27	24
18	27	24
19	27	24
20	27	24
21	27	24
22	27	24
23	27	24
24	27	24
25	27	24
26	27	24
27	27	24
28	27	24
29	27	24
30	27	24
31	27	24

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	14	86
2	13	87
3	12	88
4	12	88
5	12	88
6	11	89
7	10	90
8	10	90
9	8	92
10	8	92
11	7	93
12	7	93
13	6	94
14	6	94
15	5	95
16	5	95
17	5	95
18	5	95
19	5	95
20	5	95
21	5	95
22	5	95
23	5	95
24	6	94
25	6	94
26	6	94
27	6	94
28	6	94
29	6	94
30	6	94
31	6	94

	Rain chance (%)
1	77
2	77
3	78
4	78
5	79
6	80
7	80
8	81
9	82
10	83
11	83
12	84
13	85
14	85
15	86
16	86
17	87
18	87
19	88
20	88
21	88
22	88
23	88
24	87
25	87
26	87
27	87
28	86
29	86
30	85
31	85

	Muggy (%)	Oppressive (%)	Miserable (%)
1	5	95	0
2	5	95	0
3	5	95	0
4	5	95	0
5	4	96	0
6	4	96	0
7	4	96	0
8	4	96	0
9	3	97	0
10	3	97	0
11	3	97	0
12	3	97	0
13	2	98	0
14	2	98	0
15	2	98	0
16	2	98	0
17	1	99	0
18	1	99	0
19	1	99	0
20	1	99	0
21	1	99	0
22	1	99	0
23	1	99	0
24	1	98	1
25	1	98	1
26	1	98	1
27	2	97	1
28	2	97	1
29	2	97	1
30	2	97	1
31	3	96	1