Dili weather in December

In December, Dili sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 235 mm of rain across 27.8 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 7% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Dili's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dili's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
9th warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
235 mm
27.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
6:19 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
82%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Dili is capital of East Timor.

Density
840/km²
people per km²
Founded
1520

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 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dili reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112824
122824
132824
142824
152824
162824
172824
182824
192824
202824
212824
222824
232824
242824
252824
262824
272824
282824
292824
302824
312824

How December really feels in Dili

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 1 day 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
1
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.

Dili weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 9th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 24°21625.412.43.9
Feb28° / 24°21024.812.33.7
Mar28° / 23°22726.212.13.8
Apr28° / 23°20422.411.84.0
May29° / 23°7412.211.65.5
Jun29° / 22°254.311.56.6
Jul28° / 22°132.611.67.0
Aug29° / 21°71.511.77.0
Sep29° / 22°204.911.96.2
Oct29° / 23°7414.612.24.9
Nov29° / 24°17824.912.43.6
Dec28° / 24°23527.812.53.3

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 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 82%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12773
22674
32476
42476
52377
62278
72278
82278
92179
102179
112080
121981
131981
141981
151882
161882
171882
181783
191783
201783
211684
221585
231387
241387
251387
261288
271288
281288
291288
301189
311189

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dili gets around 235 mm of rain over 27.8 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 89% and peaks near 93% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
192
292
393
493
593
693
793
893
993
1092
1192
1292
1391
1491
1590
1690
1789
1889
1989
2088
2188
2287
2387
2486
2586
2686
2785
2885
2985
3084
3184

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the oppressive band about 97% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
11963
21963
31963
41963
51963
61963
71963
81963
91963
101963
111972
121972
131972
141972
151972
161972
171972
181972
191972
201972
211972
221972
231972
241972
251972
261972
271972
281972
291972
301972
311972

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
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:14 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:146:41
212.56:146:42
312.56:146:42
412.56:146:43
512.56:156:43
612.56:156:44
712.56:156:44
812.56:166:45
912.56:166:45
1012.56:176:46
1112.56:176:46
1212.56:176:47
1312.56:186:47
1412.56:186:48
1512.56:196:48
1612.56:196:49
1712.56:196:49
1812.56:206:50
1912.56:206:50
2012.56:216:51
2112.56:216:51
2212.56:226:52
2312.56:226:52
2412.56:236:53
2512.56:236:53
2612.56:246:53
2712.56:246:54
2812.56:256:54
2912.56:256:55
3012.56:266:55
3112.56:266:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.83 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dili

In seasonPeak

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

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

Dili's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Dili?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dili.

What to pack for Dili in December

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

In December, Dili sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Dili in December

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in November at about 30°C and coldest in August near 27°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct29Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Dili in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dili peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 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 highExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jul 11UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Dili?

Dili sits at 8.6°S, 125.6°E, 3 m above sea level, in Timor Leste. The nearest listed city is Aileu, 19 km away.

GlenoLiquiçáMaubaraAtsabeMalianaVenilaleSuai

Topography around Dili

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dili has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 422 m around an average of 52 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,468 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,916 m.

The land around Dili is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), water (28%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, water (44%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and water (52%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
422 m
16 km
1,468 m
80 km
2,916 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Aileu 19 km · Gleno 24 km · Liquiçá 26 km · Maubara 41 km · Atsabe 45 km · Maliana 62 km · Venilale 89 km · Suai 91 km

Timor Leste travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 28% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,341
2025
Homicide rate
4.1
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
11.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Catholic 91%other 7%Protestant Evangelical 2%

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 Dili (-8.5586°, 125.5736°, elevation 3 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).