Makumbako weather in December

In December, Makumbako sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 163 mm of rain across 20.5 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

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

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
12th coldest
Rainfall
163 mm
20.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:21 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
72%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Makumbako is town in Njombe 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

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical December day in Makumbako reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272618
282618
292618
302618
312618

Makumbako weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 17°18925.912.54.1
Feb26° / 17°14822.412.34.2
Mar26° / 18°16023.112.14.6
Apr25° / 17°499.711.86.7
May25° / 16°51.211.68.6
Jun24° / 14°0011.59.0
Jul23° / 13°0011.59.0
Aug24° / 14°0011.79.1
Sep26° / 15°10.111.98.8
Oct28° / 16°112.612.27.6
Nov29° / 17°579.112.45.9
Dec27° / 18°16320.512.54.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44060
53961
63862
73862
83763
93664
103565
113466
123466
133268
143268
153268
163169
173070
182971
192971
202872
212872
222872
232674
242674
252674
262575
272476
282476
292278
302278
312080

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Makumbako gets around 163 mm of rain over 20.5 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 66% and peaks near 79% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
248
349
451
552
654
755
857
959
1060
1162
1264
1365
1467
1568
1669
1770
1871
1972
2073
2173
2274
2375
2475
2576
2676
2777
2877
2978
3078
3179

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12342350
22242360
32142370
42041390
51841410
61741420
71640440
81440460
91339480
101238500
111137520
121036540
13934570
14833590
15831610
16729640
17728650
18726670
19725680
20723700
21622711
22621721
23620731
24620731
25619741
26618751
27618751
28517771
29517771
30517762
31417772

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 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612calm
712calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 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 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:16 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:166:45
212.56:166:45
312.56:176:46
412.56:176:46
512.56:176:47
612.56:186:47
712.56:186:48
812.56:186:48
912.56:196:49
1012.56:196:49
1112.56:196:50
1212.56:206:50
1312.56:206:51
1412.56:216:51
1512.56:216:52
1612.56:216:52
1712.56:226:53
1812.56:226:53
1912.56:236:54
2012.56:236:54
2112.56:246:55
2212.56:246:55
2312.56:256:56
2412.56:256:56
2512.56:266:57
2612.56:266:57
2712.56:276:57
2812.56:276:58
2912.56:286:58
3012.56:286:59
3112.56:296:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.28 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Makumbako

In seasonPeak

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

Makumbako'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 Makumbako?

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

December is a reasonable time to visit Makumbako for sightseeing.

What to pack for Makumbako in December

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

In December, Makumbako sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Makumbako in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Makumbako 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
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Makumbako 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 Makumbako is worst in October — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1620 µg/m³May 157 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun8Good
Jul11Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Makumbako?

Makumbako sits at 8.8°S, 34.8°E, 1,651 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Mtwango, 19 km away.

MafingaChimalaIgurusi

Topography around Makumbako

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Makumbako has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 155 m around an average of 1,653 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 534 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,220 m.

The land around Makumbako is covered by cropland (43%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 3 km, cropland (51%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and shrubs (30%), trees (26%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
155 m
16 km
534 m
80 km
2,220 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Mtwango 19 km · Ilembula 28 km · Rujewa 52 km · Njombe 56 km · Urunda 63 km · Mafinga 79 km · Chimala 89 km · Igurusi 108 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 Makumbako (-8.85°, 34.8333°, elevation 1,651 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).