Malakal weather in December

In December, Malakal sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 0 mm of rain across 0.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Malakal's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Malakal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
6th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
0 mm
0.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
7:06 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
26%
1st clearest
Wind
13 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Malakal is city in South Sudan.

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 35°C through the month.

A typical December day in Malakal reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°C and 38°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13523
23523
33523
43523
53523
63523
73523
83523
93523
103523
113523
123523
133523
143523
153523
163523
173523
183523
193523
203523
213523
223523
233523
243523
253523
263523
273523
283523
293523
303523
313523

How December really feels in Malakal

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.

Malakal weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 6th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 23°00.111.53.1
Feb37° / 24°0011.71.7
Mar39° / 26°4111.90.5
Apr38° / 27°276.712.20.9
May36° / 26°7014.212.42.0
Jun33° / 24°10217.212.53.0
Jul30° / 23°17222.712.53.4
Aug30° / 23°1942412.33.4
Sep31° / 23°12920.212.13.5
Oct32° / 23°10116.611.83.4
Nov34° / 23°14311.63.4
Dec35° / 23°00.111.53.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 73% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18416
28416
38416
48515
58515
68515
78515
88515
98614
108614
118515
128515
138515
148515
158614
168614
178614
188614
198614
208614
218713
228614
238614
248614
258614
268614
278515
288416
298416
308416
318317

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Malakal gets around 0 mm of rain over 0.1 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 0% and peaks near 1% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1771364
2801253
3811153
4841042
5841042
686932
788831
888831
990721
1090721
1191621
1293610
1394510
1495410
1595410
1696310
1796310
1896310
1998200
2098200
2198200
2299100
2399100
2499100
2599100
2699100
2799100
2899100
2999100
3099100
3199100

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

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 6:59 AM to 7:13 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:596:28
211.56:596:28
311.57:006:28
411.57:006:28
511.57:016:29
611.57:016:29
711.57:026:29
811.57:026:30
911.57:036:30
1011.57:036:30
1111.57:046:31
1211.57:046:31
1311.57:056:32
1411.47:056:32
1511.47:066:32
1611.47:066:33
1711.47:076:33
1811.47:076:34
1911.47:086:34
2011.47:086:35
2111.47:096:35
2211.47:096:36
2311.47:096:36
2411.47:106:37
2511.47:106:37
2611.47:116:38
2711.47:116:38
2811.47:126:39
2911.47:126:39
3011.47:136:40
3111.57:136:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in March across the year — December's 5.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Malakal

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Malakal?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Malakal in December

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

In December, Malakal sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Malakal in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Malakal peaks around March 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 11 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highMar 15UV 13Dec 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Malakal 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 Malakal is worst in December — around 84 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.5× the cleanest month (August, 11 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModerateGoodModerateUnhealthyDec 1083 µg/m³Aug 2211 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan38Poor
Feb37Poor
Mar41Poor
Apr26Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep12Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov81Unhealthy
Dec84Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Malakal?

Malakal sits at 9.5°N, 31.7°E, 400 m above sea level, in South Sudan. The nearest listed city is Leer, 216 km away.

LeerAbu JibehaKadugliĀsosaBambesiGambēlaAbyeiDilling

Topography around Malakal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Malakal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10 m around an average of 391 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 36 m.

The land around Malakal is covered by grassland (61%) and wetland (21%) within 3 km, grassland (75%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
10 m
16 km
13 m
80 km
36 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Leer 216 km · Abu Jibeha 219 km · Kadugli 269 km · Āsosa 320 km · Bambesi 338 km · Gambēla 351 km · Abyei 354 km · Dilling 356 km

South Sudan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Prices
≈ 6% of US
price level, 2021
GDP per capita
$1,080
2015
Happiness
2.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2019
Homicide rate
14
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
36.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
Religion
Christian 61%folk religion 33%Muslim 6%

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 Malakal (9.5334°, 31.6605°, elevation 400 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).