Matam weather in December

In December, Matam sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 2 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Matam's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Matam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
11th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
2 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
7:17 AM – 6:21 PM
Cloud cover
46%
8th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Matam is city and regional capital in Senegal.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 35°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical December day in Matam reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13522
23522
33521
43521
53521
63421
73421
83421
93421
103421
113421
123420
133420
143420
153420
163420
173420
183420
193420
203420
213320
223320
233320
243320
253320
263320
273320
283320
293319
303319
313319

How December really feels in Matam

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.

Matam weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°10.111.24.7
Feb35° / 21°10.111.53.2
Mar38° / 24°0011.91.2
Apr41° / 27°0012.30.0
May42° / 29°00.112.70.0
Jun41° / 29°101.712.90.1
Jul37° / 27°425.912.81.7
Aug35° / 27°9010.212.52.6
Sep36° / 27°647.712.12.3
Oct38° / 27°132.511.61.0
Nov37° / 24°0011.31.9
Dec34° / 20°20.211.13.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75941
85941
95941
106040
116040
125941
135941
145941
155941
165941
175941
185941
195941
206040
216040
226040
236040
246040
255941
266040
276040
286040
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Matam gets around 2 mm of rain over 0.2 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 1% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
194510
295410
395410
495410
596310
696310
796310
895311
995221
1095221
1195221
1295221
1395221
1495221
1597111
1697111
1797111
1897111
1997111
2097111
2197111
2297111
2398101
24100000
25100000
26100000
27100000
28100000
29100000
30100000
3199100

Wind in December

Winds average 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of December to 11 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 7:09 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:096:17
211.17:096:17
311.17:106:17
411.17:106:18
511.17:116:18
611.17:116:18
711.17:126:18
811.17:136:19
911.17:136:19
1011.17:146:19
1111.17:146:20
1211.17:156:20
1311.17:156:20
1411.17:166:21
1511.17:166:21
1611.17:176:21
1711.17:176:22
1811.17:186:22
1911.17:186:23
2011.17:196:23
2111.17:196:24
2211.17:206:24
2311.17:206:25
2411.17:216:25
2511.17:216:26
2611.17:226:26
2711.17:226:27
2811.17:236:27
2911.17:236:28
3011.17:236:28
3111.17:246:29

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.11 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.11 kWh/m² to a high of 7.38 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.11 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
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

Hazard calendar for Matam

In seasonPeak

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

Matam sees dust haze year-round, heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Matam?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Matam in December

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

In December, Matam sees daytime highs around 34°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Matam in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Matam peaks around August 20 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highAug 20UV 12Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Matam 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 Matam is worst in February — around 105 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.7× the cleanest month (August, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 11104 µg/m³Aug 2023 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan99Unhealthy
Feb105Unhealthy
Mar82Unhealthy
Apr78Unhealthy
May83Unhealthy
Jun75Unhealthy
Jul37Poor
Aug22Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct45Poor
Nov49Poor
Dec89Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Matam?

Matam sits at 15.7°N, 13.3°W, 22 m above sea level, in Senegal. The nearest listed city is Ouro Sogui, 9.0 km away.

ThilogneKaédiElghabraSélibabyBogué

Topography around Matam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Matam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 14 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 124 m.

The land around Matam is covered by grassland (44%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
65 m
80 km
124 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Ouro Sogui 9.0 km · Kanel 20 km · Thilogne 52 km · Kaédi 61 km · Elghabra 127 km · Sélibaby 127 km · Bogué 150 km · Aleg 170 km

Senegal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / E / K
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 36% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,955
2025
Happiness
4.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
27%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
23.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 442
Religion
Muslim 97%Christian 3%

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 Matam (15.6559°, -13.2554°, elevation 22 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).