Port Loko weather in December

In December, Port Loko sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 27 mm of rain across 6.7 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 Port Loko's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Loko's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
7:03 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
44%
3rd clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Port Loko 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 31°C through the month.

A typical December day in Port Loko reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
33123
43123
53123
63123
73123
83123
93123
103123
113123
123123
133123
143123
153123
163123
173123
183123
193123
203123
213123
223123
233122
243122
253122
263122
273122
283222
293222
303222
313222

How December really feels in Port Loko

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.

Port Loko weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°112.711.54.7
Feb34° / 23°71.711.74.1
Mar34° / 24°21511.93.6
Apr33° / 25°568.912.23.5
May31° / 24°24624.912.42.9
Jun29° / 23°39429.512.52.8
Jul28° / 23°53930.212.53.1
Aug28° / 23°61030.112.33.3
Sep29° / 23°49429.612.12.9
Oct30° / 23°30229.911.82.8
Nov30° / 23°12921.711.63.6
Dec31° / 23°276.711.55.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25941
36040
46040
56139
66238
76238
86436
96436
106535
116634
126733
136733
146832
156931
166931
177030
187129
197129
207228
217228
227327
237327
247426
257426
267525
277525
287525
297525
307525
317525

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Port Loko gets around 27 mm of rain over 6.7 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 23% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
245
343
441
539
637
735
833
931
1029
1127
1226
1324
1423
1521
1620
1719
1817
1916
2015
2114
2213
2313
2412
2511
2611
2711
2810
2910
3010
3110

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 75% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 98% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
100027028
200027127
300027226
400037225
500037324
600047422
700047521
800047719
900057718
1000057916
1100167815
1200167914
1300168013
1400178111
1500178111
1600188110
170018829
180019819
1900210808
2000211798
2100211807
2201213777
2301314757
2401315756
2501317736
2601418716
2711419705
2811521675
2912522664
3012523654
3112524653

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:55 AM to 7:09 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:556:27
211.56:566:27
311.56:566:27
411.56:576:28
511.56:576:28
611.56:586:28
711.56:586:29
811.56:596:29
911.56:596:29
1011.57:006:30
1111.57:006:30
1211.57:016:30
1311.57:016:31
1411.57:026:31
1511.57:026:32
1611.57:036:32
1711.57:036:33
1811.57:046:33
1911.57:046:33
2011.57:056:34
2111.57:056:34
2211.57:056:35
2311.57:066:35
2411.57:066:36
2511.57:076:36
2611.57:076:37
2711.57:086:37
2811.57:086:38
2911.57:096:38
3011.57:096:39
3111.57:096:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.42 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Port Loko

In seasonPeak

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

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

Port Loko 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 Port Loko?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Port Loko in December

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

In December, Port Loko sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Port Loko in December

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 66 km away) is warmest in November at about 29°C and coldest in August near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr28Warm
May28Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Port Loko 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 Port Loko peaks around August 20 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Port Loko 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 Port Loko is worst in April — around 267 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 19.2× the cleanest month (August, 14 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyModerateUnhealthyApr 15244 µg/m³Aug 1614 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan96Unhealthy
Feb97Unhealthy
Mar93Unhealthy
Apr267Very unhealthy
May55Poor
Jun25Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov35Poor
Dec67Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Port Loko?

Port Loko sits at 8.8°N, 12.8°W, 51 m above sea level, in Sierra Leone. The nearest listed city is Lunsar, 29 km away.

LunsarWaterlooFreetownGoderichMile 91ForécariahMakeniNjala

Topography around Port Loko

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Loko has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 885 m.

The land around Port Loko is covered by trees (60%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, trees (59%) and grassland (27%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
120 m
80 km
885 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
December weather nearby: Lunsar 29 km · Waterloo 57 km · Freetown 58 km · Goderich 67 km · Mile 91 71 km · Forécariah 81 km · Makeni 83 km · Njala 104 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 Port Loko (8.7661°, -12.787°, elevation 51 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. 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).