Mogadishu weather in December

In December, Mogadishu sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 27 mm of rain across 5.4 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of December to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mogadishu's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mogadishu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
5.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
5:58 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
34%
4th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Mogadishu is capital and the largest city of Somalia.

Density
28,431/km²
people per km²
Founded
1331

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mogadishu reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12925
22925
32925
42925
52925
62925
72925
82925
92925
102925
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163025
173025
183025
193025
203025
213025
223025
233025
243025
253025
263025
273025
283025
293025
303025
313025

How December really feels in Mogadishu

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.

Mogadishu weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 24°61.111.96.6
Feb30° / 25°1011.96.6
Mar30° / 26°62126.1
Apr30° / 26°5611.3124.8
May29° / 26°7317.112.14.7
Jun28° / 25°4515.512.15.4
Jul27° / 24°4414.412.15.8
Aug27° / 23°3211.112.16.5
Sep28° / 24°216.3127.1
Oct29° / 25°428.6126.1
Nov29° / 25°6413.111.95.3
Dec30° / 25°275.411.96.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 67% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 17%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37921
47921
57921
67921
77921
88119
98119
108119
118119
128218
138218
148218
158317
168416
178416
188416
198416
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278614
288515
298515
308515
318416

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mogadishu gets around 27 mm of rain over 5.4 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 18% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
334
433
532
631
730
829
927
1026
1124
1223
1321
1419
1518
1616
1714
1813
1911
2010
219
228
237
246
256
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 81% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
14942
25932
35932
46913
57903
67903
78893
89883
910873
1011863
1112853
1213843
1314833
1415832
1516822
1617812
1717812
1819801
1920791
2021781
2122771
2223770
2324760
2425750
2526740
2628720
2729710
2831690
2932680
3034660
3135650

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1320light breeze
1420breezy
1520breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 54 min at the start of December to 11 h 54 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 5:52 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.95:525:45
211.95:525:45
311.95:525:46
411.95:535:46
511.95:535:47
611.95:545:47
711.95:545:47
811.95:555:48
911.95:555:48
1011.95:565:49
1111.95:565:49
1211.95:565:49
1311.95:575:50
1411.95:575:50
1511.95:585:51
1611.95:585:51
1711.95:595:52
1811.95:595:52
1911.96:005:53
2011.96:005:53
2111.96:015:54
2211.96:015:54
2311.96:025:55
2411.96:025:55
2511.96:035:55
2611.96:035:56
2711.96:035:56
2811.96:045:57
2911.96:045:57
3011.96:055:58
3111.96:055:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.54 kWh/m² to a high of 7.1 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 6.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.1Intense
96.1Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.4Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Mogadishu?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
8.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mogadishu in December

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

In December, Mogadishu sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Mogadishu in December

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 18 km away) is warmest in April at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov28Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu peaks around March 24 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 24UV 14Jun 21UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu is worst in November — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.8× the cleanest month (September, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateNov 2215 µg/m³Sep 169 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr10Good
May10Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug10Good
Sep9Good
Oct10Good
Nov16Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mogadishu?

Mogadishu sits at 2.0°N, 45.3°E, 12 m above sea level, in Somalia. The nearest listed city is Afgooye, 27 km away.

QoryooleyBuurhakabaBuulobardeBaidoa

Topography around Mogadishu

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mogadishu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 74 m around an average of 22 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 179 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 m.

The land around Mogadishu is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) and water (37%) within 3 km, water (48%) within 16 km, and water (34%), shrubs (32%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
74 m
16 km
179 m
80 km
249 m
shrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Afgooye 27 km · Marka 73 km · Wanlaweyn 82 km · Jawhar 85 km · Qoryooley 95 km · Buurhakaba 164 km · Buulobarde 204 km · Baidoa 223 km

Somalia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 52% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$661
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Road deaths
27.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 399
Religion
Muslim 100%ethnic religionist 0%

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 Mogadishu (2.0371°, 45.3438°, elevation 12 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).