Musanze weather in December

In December, Musanze sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 207 mm of rain across 23.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Musanze's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Musanze's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
8th warmest
Overnight low
13°
3rd coldest
Rainfall
207 mm
23.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
5:55 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
79%
8th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Musanze is city.

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 21°C through the month.

A typical December day in Musanze reaches about 21°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)
12113
22113
32113
42113
52113
62113
72113
82113
92113
102113
112113
122113
132113
142113
152113
162113
172113
182113
192113
202113
212113
222113
232113
242113
252213
262213
272213
282213
292213
302213
312213

Musanze weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 13°18620.512.14.8
Feb22° / 13°16617.6125.0
Mar22° / 14°23424.9124.2
Apr21° / 14°20026.2123.8
May21° / 14°11818.811.95.0
Jun21° / 13°396.911.96.7
Jul22° / 13°193.711.97.3
Aug22° / 13°6710.3126.4
Sep22° / 13°11415.8125.5
Oct21° / 13°20123124.4
Nov21° / 13°22225.312.13.9
Dec21° / 13°20723.312.14.4

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 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 83%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11288
21288
31387
41387
51486
61486
71684
81684
91684
101783
111783
121882
131981
141981
151981
161981
171882
181981
191981
201981
211882
221882
231882
241882
251882
261882
271882
281882
291882
301882
311882

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Musanze gets around 207 mm of rain over 23.3 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 75% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
182
282
382
482
582
681
781
880
979
1079
1178
1277
1376
1475
1574
1674
1773
1873
1972
2072
2172
2272
2371
2471
2571
2670
2770
2870
2970
3070
3170

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 74% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
119810
219810
320800
420800
521790
621790
722780
823770
924760
1025750
1125750
1226740
1327730
1428720
1528720
1629710
1729710
1829710
1929710
2029710
2129710
2228720
2328720
2428720
2528720
2628720
2727730
2827730
2927721
3026731
3126731

Wind in December

Winds average 4 km/h in December, the calmest month.

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 06 min at the start of December to 12 h 06 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 5:49 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.15:495:54
212.15:495:54
312.15:505:54
412.15:505:55
512.15:505:55
612.15:515:56
712.15:515:56
812.15:525:57
912.15:525:57
1012.15:525:57
1112.15:535:58
1212.15:535:58
1312.15:545:59
1412.15:545:59
1512.15:556:00
1612.15:556:00
1712.15:556:01
1812.15:566:01
1912.15:566:02
2012.15:576:02
2112.15:576:03
2212.15:586:03
2312.15:586:04
2412.15:596:04
2512.15:596:04
2612.16:006:05
2712.16:006:05
2812.16:016:06
2912.16:016:06
3012.16:026:07
3112.16:026:07

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.75 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.06 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Musanze?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Musanze for sightseeing.

What to pack for Musanze in December

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

In December, Musanze sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Musanze in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Musanze peaks around March 17 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 17UV 16Jun 23UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Musanze 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 Musanze is worst in January — around 99 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyJan 2299 µg/m³May 1181 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan99Unhealthy
Feb98Unhealthy
Mar88Unhealthy
Apr82Unhealthy
May80Unhealthy
Jun95Unhealthy
Jul91Unhealthy
Aug87Unhealthy
Sep83Unhealthy
Oct81Unhealthy
Nov86Unhealthy
Dec93Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Musanze?

Musanze sits at 1.5°S, 29.6°E, 1,849 m above sea level, in Rwanda. The nearest listed city is Mukingo, 10 km away.

MukamiraKoraKisoroNgororeroRutshuruRubanda

Topography around Musanze

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Musanze has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 304 m around an average of 1,850 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,644 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,540 m.

The land around Musanze is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), trees (31%) and cropland (27%) within 3 km, trees (50%) and cropland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (36%), grassland (24%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
304 m
16 km
2,644 m
80 km
3,540 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Mukingo 10 km · Busogo 12 km · Mukamira 20 km · Kora 24 km · Kisoro 24 km · Ngororero 40 km · Rutshuru 41 km · Rubanda 42 km

Rwanda travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 27% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,124
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2021
Homicide rate
3.6
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
29.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 417
Religion
Catholic 40%Pentecostal 21%Protestant 15%Adventist 12%

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 Musanze (-1.4998°, 29.635°, elevation 1,849 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).