Makeni weather in December

In December, Makeni sees average daytime highs of 32°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 13 mm of rain across 3.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 33°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Makeni's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Makeni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
32°
5th warmest
Overnight low
22°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
13 mm
3.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
7:00 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
43%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Makeni is capital city of Northern Province in Sierra Leone.

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 33°C by the end.

A typical December day in Makeni reaches about 32°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63122
73122
83122
93122
103222
113222
123222
133222
143222
153222
163222
173221
183221
193221
203221
213221
223221
233221
243321
253321
263321
273321
283321
293321
303321
313321

How December really feels in Makeni

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.

Makeni weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan34° / 21°7211.53.8
Feb35° / 23°61.411.72.9
Mar36° / 24°245.711.92.5
Apr34° / 25°5110.212.22.7
May32° / 24°1792312.42.8
Jun29° / 23°30628.212.52.9
Jul28° / 22°40529.512.53.2
Aug28° / 22°46929.912.33.3
Sep29° / 22°4132912.12.9
Oct30° / 22°29429.711.82.8
Nov31° / 22°10116.311.64.0
Dec32° / 22°133.111.54.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
36040
46040
56040
66139
76238
86337
96436
106436
116634
126733
136733
146832
156931
167030
177030
187228
197327
207327
217426
227525
237525
247624
257624
267624
277624
287723
297723
307723
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Makeni gets around 13 mm of rain over 3.1 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 12% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
226
324
422
521
619
718
816
915
1014
1113
1212
1311
1410
1510
169
178
188
197
207
217
226
236
246
255
265
275
285
295
305
315

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 82% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
101112824
201214794
302215783
402217763
502318743
602319732
703421702
803422701
903524671
1013525651
1114626621
1214727610
1314729590
1414730580
1515831550
1615832540
1715933520
18261034490
19261035470
20261136440
21371237410
22371238390
23481339360
24581439330
25691440310
267101540280
277101641260
288111641230
299111741210
3010121841190
3111121841180

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 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
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of December to 11 h 30 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 6:52 AM to 7:07 AM, and sunset from 6:23 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:526:23
211.56:536:24
311.56:536:24
411.56:546:24
511.56:546:25
611.56:556:25
711.56:556:25
811.56:566:26
911.56:566:26
1011.56:576:26
1111.56:576:27
1211.56:586:27
1311.56:586:28
1411.56:596:28
1511.56:596:28
1611.57:006:29
1711.57:006:29
1811.57:016:30
1911.57:016:30
2011.57:026:31
2111.57:026:31
2211.57:036:32
2311.57:036:32
2411.57:046:33
2511.57:046:33
2611.57:056:34
2711.57:056:34
2811.57:056:35
2911.57:066:35
3011.57:066:35
3111.57:076:36

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Makeni

In seasonPeak

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

Makeni's monsoon runs June–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Makeni sees seasonal dust haze (February–April), heaviest in February.

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

Is December a good time to visit Makeni?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Makeni for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Makeni in December

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

In December, Makeni sees daytime highs around 32°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Makeni in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Makeni peaks around August 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 8 (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 13Dec 16UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr10Very high
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Makeni 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 Makeni is worst in April — around 237 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 22.1× the cleanest month (August, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateApr 13221 µg/m³Aug 1811 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan98Unhealthy
Feb103Unhealthy
Mar145Unhealthy
Apr237Very unhealthy
May43Poor
Jun20Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep12Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec55Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Makeni?

Makeni sits at 8.9°N, 12.0°W, 93 m above sea level, in Sierra Leone. The nearest listed city is Mile 91, 50 km away.

Mile 91LunsarNjalaPort LokoKabalaBoBumpeKoidu

Topography around Makeni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Makeni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 205 m around an average of 104 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 936 m.

The land around Makeni is covered by artificial surfaces (45%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
205 m
16 km
253 m
80 km
936 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Mile 91 50 km · Lunsar 58 km · Njala 73 km · Port Loko 83 km · Kabala 95 km · Bo 108 km · Bumpe 112 km · Koidu 121 km

Sierra Leone travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 24% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$846
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
11%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.2
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
33
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Muslim 77%Christian 23%

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 Makeni (8.886°, -12.0442°, elevation 93 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).