Nuku‘alofa weather in December

In December, Nuku‘alofa sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 105 mm of rain across 12.1 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of December to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nuku‘alofa's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nuku‘alofa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
105 mm
12.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:59 AM – 7:15 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
25 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.69 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Nuku‘alofa is capital city of Tonga.

Density
1,963/km²
people per km²
Founded
1795

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nuku‘alofa reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12524
22524
32524
42524
52524
62524
72524
82524
92524
102624
112624
122624
132625
142625
152625
162625
172625
182625
192625
202625
212625
222625
232625
242625
252625
262625
272625
282625
292625
302625
312625

Nuku‘alofa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 25°19515.513.15.7
Feb27° / 26°20316.512.75.3
Mar27° / 26°23018.312.15.3
Apr26° / 25°16713.411.56.0
May25° / 24°10310.1116.8
Jun24° / 23°1068.810.77.0
Jul23° / 22°968.410.87.0
Aug23° / 21°1098.611.36.9
Sep23° / 22°1069.511.96.9
Oct23° / 22°938.512.57.1
Nov25° / 23°999.2136.9
Dec26° / 25°10512.113.36.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34852
44852
54753
64753
74753
84753
94753
104753
114852
124852
134852
144852
154852
164951
174951
184951
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
254951
264951
274852
284852
294654
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nuku‘alofa gets around 105 mm of rain over 12.1 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 39% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
431
532
633
733
834
935
1036
1137
1238
1339
1440
1541
1642
1743
1843
1944
2044
2144
2244
2344
2444
2544
2644
2744
2845
2945
3045
3145

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 56% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 89% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
131236481
231235491
331135501
421135511
521136501
621036511
721036511
821036511
921035521
102935531
112934541
122933542
132933542
142932552
152931562
162930572
172929573
181928593
191928593
201927603
2111026594
2211026594
2311025604
2411025604
251925614
261924615
270924625
280924616
290824626
300824617
310823627

Wind in December

Winds average 25 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 24 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
224breezy
324breezy
424breezy
524breezy
624breezy
724breezy
824breezy
924breezy
1024breezy
1124breezy
1224breezy
1324breezy
1424breezy
1524breezy
1624breezy
1724breezy
1824breezy
1924breezy
2024breezy
2124breezy
2225breezy
2325breezy
2425breezy
2525breezy
2625breezy
2725breezy
2825breezy
2925breezy
3026breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 min at the start of December to 13 h 18 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 5:55 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.25:557:06
213.25:557:07
313.25:557:08
413.25:557:08
513.25:557:09
613.25:567:10
713.25:567:10
813.25:567:11
913.35:567:11
1013.35:577:12
1113.35:577:13
1213.35:577:13
1313.35:587:14
1413.35:587:14
1513.35:587:15
1613.35:597:15
1713.35:597:16
1813.35:597:16
1913.36:007:17
2013.36:007:17
2113.36:017:18
2213.36:017:18
2313.36:027:19
2413.36:027:19
2513.36:037:20
2613.36:037:20
2713.36:047:21
2813.36:047:21
2913.36:057:21
3013.36:057:22
3113.36:067:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.69 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.69 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.69 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Nuku‘alofa?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Nuku‘alofa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nuku‘alofa in December

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

In December, Nuku‘alofa sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Nuku‘alofa in December

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in March at about 28°C and coldest in August near 24°C.

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

22°24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb28Warm
Mar28Warm
Apr27Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul24Warm
Aug24Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct24Warm
Nov25Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Nuku‘alofa 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 Nuku‘alofa peaks around February 12 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeFeb 12UV 16Jun 23UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Nuku‘alofa?

Nuku‘alofa sits at 21.1°S, 175.2°W, 1 m above sea level, in Tonga. The nearest listed city is Alofi, 598 km away.

Topography around Nuku‘alofa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nuku‘alofa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 299 m.

The land around Nuku‘alofa is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, water (68%) within 16 km, and water (97%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
73 m
80 km
299 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Alofi 598 km · Levuka 668 km · Nasinu 741 km · Suva 746 km · Lami 749 km · Labasa 775 km · Sigatoka 833 km · Nadi 858 km

Tonga travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 75% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,547
2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2019
Road deaths
33
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Church of Jesus Christ 20%Roman Catholic 14%other 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 Nuku‘alofa (-21.1368°, -175.2011°, elevation 1 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. 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).