Sumbawanga weather in December

In December, Sumbawanga sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 282 mm of rain across 26.4 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% 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 Sumbawanga's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sumbawanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
10th warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
282 mm
26.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:36 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
84%
9th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Sumbawanga is city located in western 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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Sumbawanga reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12315
22315
32315
42314
52314
62314
72314
82214
92214
102214
112214
122214
132214
142214
152214
162214
172214
182214
192214
202214
212214
222214
232214
242214
252214
262214
272214
282214
292214
302214
312214

Sumbawanga weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 14°30428.412.43.7
Feb22° / 14°23923.612.34.0
Mar22° / 14°2792612.14.1
Apr22° / 14°16018.811.85.2
May23° / 13°305.111.67.7
Jun23° / 11°20.211.58.6
Jul23° / 11°10.211.68.7
Aug24° / 12°20.411.78.8
Sep25° / 14°81.1128.5
Oct25° / 15°405.712.27.4
Nov24° / 15°14815.612.45.7
Dec22° / 14°28226.412.54.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 86%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12278
22278
32179
42179
52080
62080
71882
81882
91684
101684
111585
121585
131486
141288
151288
161288
171387
181387
191288
201288
211288
221288
231288
241288
251288
261189
271189
281189
291189
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Sumbawanga gets around 282 mm of rain over 26.4 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 85% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
272
373
475
576
677
778
880
981
1082
1183
1284
1385
1486
1587
1688
1789
1889
1990
2090
2190
2290
2391
2491
2591
2691
2791
2891
2991
3091
3191

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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1216811
2206911
3196912
4187012
5177112
6167113
7157213
8147313
9137314
10127414
11117514
12107614
13107614
1497714
1587814
1687814
1787814
1877914
1977815
2077815
2177815
2267915
2367816
2467816
2567816
2657916
2757817
2857817
2947917
3047818
3147818

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:30 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 6:56 PM to 7:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:306:56
212.46:316:57
312.46:316:57
412.46:316:58
512.46:326:58
612.46:326:59
712.46:326:59
812.46:337:00
912.56:337:00
1012.56:337:01
1112.56:347:01
1212.56:347:02
1312.56:357:02
1412.56:357:03
1512.56:357:03
1612.56:367:04
1712.56:367:04
1812.56:377:05
1912.56:377:05
2012.56:387:05
2112.56:387:06
2212.56:397:06
2312.56:397:07
2412.56:407:07
2512.56:407:08
2612.56:417:08
2712.56:417:09
2812.56:417:09
2912.56:427:10
3012.56:427:10
3112.56:437:10

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.08 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.24 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Sumbawanga

In seasonPeak

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

Sumbawanga sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Sumbawanga's monsoon runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Sumbawanga?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Sumbawanga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sumbawanga in December

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

In December, Sumbawanga sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 26 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Sumbawanga 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 Sumbawanga peaks around February 19 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 16Jun 17UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr15Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Sumbawanga 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 Sumbawanga is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (May, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1223 µg/m³May 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar9Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun9Good
Jul15Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sumbawanga?

Sumbawanga sits at 8.0°S, 31.6°E, 1,833 m above sea level, in Tanzania. The nearest listed city is Matai, 39 km away.

NamanyereLaelaMbalaMpulunguUseviaKirando

Topography around Sumbawanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sumbawanga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 126 m around an average of 1,833 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,171 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,666 m.

The land around Sumbawanga is covered by artificial surfaces (44%) and cropland (34%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (32%), trees (20%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
126 m
16 km
1,171 m
80 km
1,666 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Matai 39 km · Chala 57 km · Namanyere 80 km · Laela 82 km · Mbala 101 km · Mpulungu 104 km · Usevia 105 km · Kirando 128 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 Sumbawanga (-7.9667°, 31.6167°, elevation 1,833 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).