Wau weather in December

In December, Wau sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 1 mm of rain across 0.2 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 11th-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 60% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Wau's 1st-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
6th coldest
Rainfall
1 mm
0.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:18 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
36%
1st clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Wau is city in northwestern 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 Wau 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 32°C and 37°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 Wau

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.

Wau weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 23°00.211.63.0
Feb37° / 24°30.711.71.8
Mar38° / 26°204.211.91.3
Apr36° / 26°5812.712.21.7
May34° / 25°11819.512.32.4
Jun32° / 23°12720.512.43.0
Jul30° / 23°16623.512.43.3
Aug30° / 22°19224.812.33.3
Sep31° / 22°15523.2123.1
Oct32° / 23°12520.211.83.1
Nov34° / 23°173.911.63.6
Dec35° / 23°10.211.63.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in December, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37426
47426
57426
67426
77525
87525
97624
107624
117624
127624
137723
147723
157822
167822
177921
187921
197822
207822
217921
227822
237822
247723
257723
267723
277624
287624
297525
307426
317426

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Wau gets around 1 mm of rain over 0.2 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 3% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
13
23
33
42
52
62
72
81
91
101
111
121
131
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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
153221681
256211571
359201461
461201351
563191251
665181241
768171131
870161031
97215931
107613821
117712821
127911721
138310610
14849610
15868510
16877510
17906400
18915400
19934300
20934300
21934300
22943300
23953200
24953200
25953200
26953200
27943300
28943300
29943300
30943300
31943300

Wind in December

Winds average 10 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
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
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 36 min at the start of December to 11 h 36 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 7:10 AM to 7:24 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.67:106:45
211.67:116:46
311.67:116:46
411.67:126:46
511.67:126:47
611.67:136:47
711.67:136:47
811.67:146:48
911.67:146:48
1011.67:156:48
1111.67:156:49
1211.67:166:49
1311.67:166:50
1411.67:176:50
1511.67:176:50
1611.67:186:51
1711.67:186:51
1811.67:196:52
1911.67:196:52
2011.67:206:53
2111.67:206:53
2211.67:206:54
2311.67:216:54
2411.67:216:55
2511.67:226:55
2611.67:226:55
2711.67:236:56
2811.67:236:56
2911.67:246:57
3011.67:246:57
3111.67:246:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.94 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
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Wau

In seasonPeak

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

Wau's monsoon runs May–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 Wau?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Wau in December

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

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

light clothessun protection

UV index in Wau 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 Wau peaks around March 19 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 19UV 13Dec 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug13Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Wau 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 Wau is worst in November — around 59 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.9× the cleanest month (August, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModerateModerateGoodModeratePoorNov 2158 µg/m³Aug 2410 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan23Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar37Poor
Apr22Moderate
May11Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug10Good
Sep10Good
Oct15Moderate
Nov59Unhealthy
Dec52Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Wau?

Wau sits at 7.7°N, 28.0°E, 440 m above sea level, in South Sudan. The nearest listed city is Kuacjok, 67 km away.

TonjGogrialAweilWinejokRumbekAbyeiLeer

Topography around Wau

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 58 m around an average of 447 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 198 m.

The land around Wau is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and grassland (34%) within 3 km, grassland (70%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and shrubs (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
58 m
16 km
112 m
80 km
198 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Kuacjok 67 km · Tonj 89 km · Gogrial 93 km · Aweil 135 km · Winejok 153 km · Rumbek 211 km · Abyei 216 km · Leer 246 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 Wau (7.7011°, 27.9897°, elevation 440 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).