Ziguinchor weather in December

In December, Ziguinchor sees average daytime highs of 34°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.3 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 34°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ziguinchor's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ziguinchor's year-round climate.

Daytime high
34°
7th warmest
Overnight low
20°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
7:23 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
46%
6th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Ziguinchor is city and regional capital in Senegal.

Density
6,551/km²
people per km²

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 34°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ziguinchor reaches about 34°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13421
23421
33421
43421
53421
63421
73421
83420
93420
103420
113420
123420
133420
143420
153420
163420
173420
183420
193420
203420
213420
223420
233420
243420
253420
263420
273419
283419
293419
303419
313419

How December really feels in Ziguinchor

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.

Ziguinchor weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 19°10.111.33.8
Feb36° / 20°10.111.62.5
Mar38° / 22°0011.91.5
Apr38° / 22°0012.31.4
May37° / 23°20.312.62.1
Jun34° / 25°517.212.73.0
Jul31° / 25°27723.512.73.0
Aug30° / 24°39127.812.42.8
Sep31° / 24°30725.512.12.7
Oct33° / 25°12818.411.73.0
Nov34° / 23°162.811.43.4
Dec34° / 20°10.311.33.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 40%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26040
35941
45941
55941
65941
75941
85941
95941
105941
115941
125941
135941
145941
155941
166040
175941
186040
196040
206040
216040
226139
236139
246139
256139
266238
276238
286238
296337
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ziguinchor gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.3 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 1% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
72
82
92
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 14% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
12221252111
22522241910
3272323189
4292422178
5312522167
6332621146
7352620146
8372719135
9392718124
10412717124
11422716123
12442615113
13462614112
14472613112
15492513112
16512512111
17512512111
18532411111
19542411101
20562310101
21572210101
225922991
236021991
246121981
256420871
266420871
276619861
286719761
296918751
307117741
317317640

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of December to 11 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 7:15 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.37:156:34
211.37:166:34
311.37:166:35
411.37:176:35
511.37:186:35
611.37:186:36
711.37:196:36
811.37:196:36
911.37:206:37
1011.37:206:37
1111.37:216:37
1211.37:216:38
1311.37:226:38
1411.37:226:38
1511.37:236:39
1611.37:236:39
1711.37:246:40
1811.37:246:40
1911.37:256:40
2011.37:256:41
2111.37:266:41
2211.37:266:42
2311.37:276:42
2411.37:276:43
2511.37:286:43
2611.37:286:44
2711.37:296:44
2811.37:296:45
2911.37:296:45
3011.37:306:46
3111.37:306:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.19 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in April across the year — December's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ziguinchor

In seasonPeak

None of Ziguinchor's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Ziguinchor sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Ziguinchor's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Ziguinchor sees seasonal dust haze (February–July), heaviest in June.

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

Is December a good time to visit Ziguinchor?

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

3.7
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 Ziguinchor. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ziguinchor in December

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

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

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Ziguinchor in December

The nearest coast averages about 26°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 50 km away) is warmest in October at about 29°C and coldest in January near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan24Refreshing
Feb24Refreshing
Mar25Warm
Apr25Warm
May26Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug28Warm
Sep28Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec26Warm

UV index in Ziguinchor 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 Ziguinchor peaks around March 17 at about 13 (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 highMar 17UV 13Dec 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Ziguinchor 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 Ziguinchor is worst in February — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.2× the cleanest month (August, 19 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorModeratePoorUnhealthyFeb 1698 µg/m³Aug 2020 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan81Unhealthy
Feb100Unhealthy
Mar84Unhealthy
Apr57Unhealthy
May49Poor
Jun55Poor
Jul31Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct42Poor
Nov56Unhealthy
Dec74Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Ziguinchor?

Ziguinchor sits at 12.6°N, 16.3°W, 19 m above sea level, in Senegal. The nearest listed city is Bignona, 27 km away.

GoudompSédhiouGunjurNema KunkuBrikamaLaminSanyang

Topography around Ziguinchor

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ziguinchor has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 31 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 50 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m.

The land around Ziguinchor is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) within 3 km, trees (37%) within 16 km, and trees (33%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
31 m
16 km
50 m
80 km
57 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Bignona 27 km · Goudomp 44 km · Sédhiou 79 km · Gunjur 86 km · Nema Kunku 87 km · Brikama 88 km · Lamin 89 km · Sanyang 94 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 Ziguinchor (12.568°, -16.2733°, elevation 19 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. 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).