Mendi weather in December

In December, Mendi sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 452 mm of rain across 29.3 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 9th-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 0% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of December to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mendi's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mendi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
1st warmest
Overnight low
13°
7th coldest
Rainfall
452 mm
29.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
6:11 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
95%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Mendi is capital city of Southern 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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mendi reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12213
22213
32213
42213
52213
62213
72213
82213
92213
102213
112213
122213
132213
142213
152213
162213
172213
182213
192213
202213
212213
222113
232113
242113
252113
262113
272113
282113
292113
302113
312113

Mendi weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 13°45029.412.33.4
Feb22° / 13°42726.812.23.4
Mar21° / 13°50429.9123.3
Apr21° / 14°58329.211.93.3
May21° / 13°55729.911.73.4
Jun20° / 13°46829.111.73.3
Jul20° / 13°41229.711.73.3
Aug20° / 13°48029.611.83.3
Sep20° / 13°56728.4123.4
Oct21° / 13°59128.712.13.5
Nov22° / 13°4862812.33.5
Dec22° / 13°45229.312.43.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 1% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 99%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1397
2397
3397
4397
5397
6397
7397
8298
9298
10199
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
16199
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24199
25199
26199
27199
28199
29199
30199
31199

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mendi gets around 452 mm of rain over 29.3 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 94% and peaks near 96% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
391
491
592
692
792
893
993
1093
1193
1294
1394
1494
1595
1695
1795
1895
1996
2096
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
2796
2896
2996
3096
3196

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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
167717
267717
367717
467717
567717
657817
757817
857817
957718
1047818
1147818
1237918
1337918
1437918
1528018
1627919
1727919
1827919
1927820
2027820
2127820
2227721
2327721
2427721
2527622
2627622
2727622
2827622
2937621
3037621
3137720

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.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 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 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:05 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:056:25
212.36:066:26
312.36:066:26
412.36:066:26
512.36:066:27
612.36:076:27
712.36:076:28
812.36:086:28
912.36:086:29
1012.36:086:29
1112.36:096:30
1212.46:096:30
1312.46:106:31
1412.46:106:31
1512.46:106:32
1612.46:116:32
1712.46:116:33
1812.46:126:33
1912.46:126:34
2012.46:136:34
2112.46:136:35
2212.46:146:35
2312.46:146:36
2412.46:156:36
2512.46:156:36
2612.46:166:37
2712.46:166:37
2812.46:176:38
2912.46:176:38
3012.46:176:39
3112.46:186:39

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 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 4.88 kWh/m² in November across the year — December's 4.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.6Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.7Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Mendi?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mendi.

What to pack for Mendi in December

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

In December, Mendi sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 29 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Mendi 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 Mendi peaks around March 14 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 12 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 14UV 18Jun 19UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar18Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep16Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov16Extreme
Dec15Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mendi?

Mendi sits at 6.1°S, 143.7°E, 1,729 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Mount Hagen, 71 km away.

GorokaMadangWewakDaruBuloloLaeMerauke

Topography around Mendi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mendi has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 889 m around an average of 1,903 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,714 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,228 m.

The land around Mendi is covered by trees (63%) and grassland (33%) within 3 km, trees (80%) within 16 km, and trees (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
889 m
16 km
1,714 m
80 km
4,228 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswetland
December weather nearby: Mount Hagen 71 km · Goroka 191 km · Madang 257 km · Wewak 289 km · Daru 330 km · Bulolo 350 km · Lae 375 km · Merauke 444 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 Mendi (-6.1475°, 143.6563°, elevation 1,729 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).