Butaleja weather in December

In December, Butaleja sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 84 mm of rain across 8.5 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of December to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Butaleja's 4th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butaleja's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
1st coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
8.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:42 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
66%
4th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Butaleja is place in Eastern Uganda, Uganda.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical December day in Butaleja reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12918
22918
32918
42918
52918
62918
72918
82918
92918
102918
112918
122918
132918
142918
152918
162918
172918
182918
192918
203018
213018
223018
233018
243018
253018
263018
273018
283018
293018
303018
313018

Butaleja weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 18°485.2125.1
Feb32° / 19°375.3124.5
Mar31° / 19°11412124.3
Apr29° / 19°20821.1124.0
May28° / 19°19323.4124.3
Jun28° / 18°11117.512.15.1
Jul28° / 18°6414.8125.5
Aug28° / 18°8217.8124.8
Sep29° / 18°8316.8124.6
Oct29° / 19°12019.4124.2
Nov28° / 18°14816.3124.7
Dec29° / 18°848.511.95.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22971
33070
43169
53268
63367
73466
83565
93763
103763
114060
124060
134258
144258
154357
164555
174555
184654
194654
204654
214753
224852
234753
244753
254852
264852
274852
284951
294951
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Butaleja gets around 84 mm of rain over 8.5 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 28% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
338
437
536
635
734
833
933
1032
1131
1230
1330
1429
1528
1627
1727
1826
1925
2025
2124
2223
2322
2422
2521
2620
2719
2819
2918
3018
3117

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 58% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 16% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11116325
21126225
31136224
41146223
51146223
62156122
72166022
82176021
93176020
103176119
114185919
124186018
135186017
146195817
156195916
167195915
177195915
188205814
198205814
209215713
219215713
229225613
2310225612
2410235512
2510235611
2610245511
2710245511
2810255411
2910255411
3010265311
3110265311

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 hours at the start of December to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 6:49 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:356:32
212.06:366:33
312.06:366:33
412.06:376:34
511.96:376:34
611.96:376:34
711.96:386:35
811.96:386:35
911.96:396:36
1011.96:396:36
1111.96:406:37
1211.96:406:37
1311.96:416:37
1411.96:416:38
1511.96:416:38
1611.96:426:39
1711.96:426:39
1811.96:436:40
1911.96:436:40
2011.96:446:41
2111.96:446:41
2211.96:456:42
2311.96:456:42
2411.96:466:43
2511.96:466:43
2611.96:476:43
2711.96:476:44
2811.96:486:44
2911.96:486:45
3011.96:486:45
3111.96:496:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in February across the year — December's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Butaleja?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Butaleja for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Butaleja in December

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

In December, Butaleja sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Butaleja in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Butaleja peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 16UV 15Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Butaleja 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 Butaleja is worst in January — around 60 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyPoorJan 1759 µg/m³Apr 1939 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan60Unhealthy
Feb54Poor
Mar45Poor
Apr38Poor
May41Poor
Jun48Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug47Poor
Sep43Poor
Oct45Poor
Nov50Poor
Dec54Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Butaleja?

Butaleja sits at 0.9°N, 34.0°E, 1,067 m above sea level, in Uganda. The nearest listed city is Busolwe, 7.0 km away.

ManafwaPallisa

Topography around Butaleja

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Butaleja has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m around an average of 1,071 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 113 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,263 m.

The land around Butaleja is covered by grassland (28%), shrubs (27%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, cropland (37%), grassland (21%) and shrubs (20%) within 16 km, and shrubs (28%), cropland (27%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
53 m
16 km
113 m
80 km
3,263 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Busolwe 7.0 km · Budaka 11 km · Namutumba 31 km · Mbale 31 km · Nakaloke 34 km · Tororo 35 km · Manafwa 36 km · Pallisa 37 km

Uganda travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type G
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 35% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,206
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
29.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 518
Religion
Protestant 45%Roman Catholic 39%Muslim 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 Butaleja (0.9119°, 33.9511°, elevation 1,067 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).