Mafinga weather in December

In December, Mafinga sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 288 mm of rain across 22.1 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of December to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mafinga's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mafinga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
9th coldest
Rainfall
288 mm
22.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:21 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
74%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Mafinga is city in Mafinga Town, Iringa Region, Tanzania.

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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mafinga reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12415
22415
32415
42415
52415
62415
72415
82415
92415
102415
112415
122415
132415
142415
152315
162315
172315
182315
192315
202315
212315
222315
232315
242315
252315
262315
272315
282315
292315
302315
312315

Mafinga weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 15°31926.412.44.1
Feb23° / 15°27023.212.34.2
Mar23° / 15°28825.912.14.2
Apr22° / 15°10916.511.85.5
May21° / 13°143.711.67.6
Jun21° / 11°10.211.58.2
Jul20° / 10°0011.68.2
Aug21° / 11°10.111.78.5
Sep23° / 12°30.5128.8
Oct25° / 13°153.212.28.3
Nov25° / 15°10610.412.46.8
Dec23° / 15°28822.112.54.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% 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 70%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34258
44159
54159
63961
73862
83763
93565
103565
113367
123268
133169
142971
152872
162773
172674
182674
192674
202674
212575
222575
232476
242476
252377
262377
272278
282278
292179
302179
311981

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mafinga gets around 288 mm of rain over 22.1 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 72% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
253
354
456
558
659
761
863
965
1067
1169
1270
1372
1474
1575
1676
1777
1878
1978
2078
2179
2279
2379
2479
2580
2680
2780
2881
2981
3082
3182

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1344917
2334918
3315019
4305020
5285121
6265321
7255322
8235423
9215524
10205525
11185626
12175627
13165628
14155629
15145531
16135532
17125533
18125434
19115435
20115435
21115336
22105337
23105337
24105238
25105139
2695239
2795140
2895041
2985141
3085042
3174943

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of December to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:156:42
212.56:156:43
312.56:166:43
412.56:166:43
512.56:166:44
612.56:176:44
712.56:176:45
812.56:176:45
912.56:186:46
1012.56:186:46
1112.56:186:47
1212.56:196:47
1312.56:196:48
1412.56:206:48
1512.56:206:49
1612.56:216:49
1712.56:216:50
1812.56:216:50
1912.56:226:51
2012.56:226:51
2112.56:236:52
2212.56:236:52
2312.56:246:53
2412.56:246:53
2512.56:256:54
2612.56:256:54
2712.56:266:55
2812.56:266:55
2912.56:276:55
3012.56:276:56
3112.56:286:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mafinga

In seasonPeak

In December, Mafinga sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Mafinga's monsoon runs December–March, 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 Mafinga?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mafinga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mafinga in December

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

In December, Mafinga sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 22 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mafinga in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mafinga peaks around March 10 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 10UV 16Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mafinga 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 Mafinga is worst in October — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateOct 2133 µg/m³May 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb12Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun9Good
Jul13Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct34Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mafinga?

Mafinga sits at 8.3°S, 35.3°E, 1,766 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Iringa, 74 km away.

IringaMakumbakoMlimbaMtwangoIlembulaIlulaRujewaUrunda

Topography around Mafinga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mafinga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 1,854 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 416 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,993 m.

The land around Mafinga is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), cropland (27%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, grassland (40%) and trees (27%) within 16 km, and trees (38%) and shrubs (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
416 m
80 km
1,993 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Iringa 74 km · Makumbako 79 km · Mlimba 80 km · Mtwango 96 km · Ilembula 103 km · Ilula 107 km · Rujewa 110 km · Urunda 116 km

Tanzania travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,319
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
3.7
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
31.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 479
Religion
Christian 63%Muslim 34%folk religion 1%

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 Mafinga (-8.3002°, 35.2937°, elevation 1,766 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).