Funafuti weather in December

In December, Funafuti sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 293 mm of rain across 24.8 wet days and about 12.5 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-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 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels miserable.

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 Funafuti's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Funafuti's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
293 mm
24.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 30 min
5:45 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
76%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Funafuti is capital of Tuvalu.

Density
2,633/km²
people per km²

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 Funafuti reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92827
102827
112827
122827
132827
142827
152827
162827
172827
182827
192827
202827
212827
222827
232827
242827
252827
262827
272827
282827
292827
302827
312827

How December really feels in Funafuti

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 days 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
31
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.

Funafuti weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 27°3572512.43.7
Feb28° / 26°35922.912.33.7
Mar28° / 26°30125.112.13.8
Apr28° / 27°25025.611.83.7
May28° / 27°23725.611.63.8
Jun28° / 26°20524.311.54.0
Jul28° / 26°20423.311.64.5
Aug28° / 26°21523.711.74.6
Sep28° / 26°17822.1124.5
Oct28° / 26°20322.512.24.3
Nov28° / 26°21322.512.44.1
Dec28° / 27°29324.812.53.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% 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 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33367
43367
53268
63268
73169
83070
93169
103070
113070
123070
133070
142971
152971
163070
173070
182971
192971
202971
212971
222872
232872
242773
252872
262773
272773
282674
292773
302773
312773

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Funafuti gets around 293 mm of rain over 24.8 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 80% and peaks near 82% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
177
277
378
478
578
678
778
878
978
1078
1179
1279
1379
1479
1579
1680
1780
1880
1980
2081
2181
2281
2381
2482
2582
2682
2782
2882
2982
3081
3181

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the miserable band about 59% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
114851
204852
304852
404852
504753
604753
704654
804654
904555
1004456
1104357
1204258
1304159
1404060
1503961
1603862
1703862
1803763
1903763
2003664
2103664
2203664
2303664
2403664
2503664
2603664
2703763
2803763
2903763
3003763
3103763

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

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 5:39 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 6:07 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:396:07
212.55:396:07
312.55:406:08
412.55:406:08
512.55:406:09
612.55:416:09
712.55:416:10
812.55:416:10
912.55:426:11
1012.55:426:11
1112.55:436:12
1212.55:436:12
1312.55:436:13
1412.55:446:13
1512.55:446:14
1612.55:456:14
1712.55:456:15
1812.55:456:15
1912.55:466:16
2012.55:466:16
2112.55:476:17
2212.55:476:17
2312.55:486:18
2412.55:486:18
2512.55:496:18
2612.55:496:19
2712.55:506:19
2812.55:506:20
2912.55:516:20
3012.55:516:21
3112.55:526:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.65 kWh/m² to a high of 6.15 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 5.71 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Funafuti

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

Is December a good time to visit Funafuti?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Funafuti.

What to pack for Funafuti in December

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

In December, Funafuti sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Funafuti 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 14 km away) is warmest in November at about 30°C and coldest in August near 29°C.

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

28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct30Tropical
Nov30Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Funafuti 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 Funafuti peaks around February 15 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 15UV 17Jun 20UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb17Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Funafuti?

Funafuti sits at 8.5°S, 179.2°E, 7 m above sea level, in Tuvalu. The nearest listed city is Mata-Utu, 732 km away.

Topography around Funafuti

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Funafuti has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5 m around an average of 0 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 12 m.

The land around Funafuti is covered by water (96%) within 3 km, water (100%) within 16 km, and water (100%) within 80 km.

3 km
5 m
16 km
15 m
80 km
12 m
grasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Mata-Utu 732 km · Labasa 880 km · Lautoka 1,028 km · Nadi 1,050 km · Levuka 1,061 km · Nasinu 1,064 km · Lami 1,069 km · Suva 1,072 km

Tuvalu travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,041
2025
Safe drinking water
9%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
18.3
per 100k, 2012
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 93%other 4%Baha'i 2%Jehovah's Witness 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 Funafuti (-8.5243°, 179.1942°, elevation 7 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).