Port Vila weather in December

In December, Port Vila sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 132 mm of rain across 14.6 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Port Vila's 4th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Vila's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
132 mm
14.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:11 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
56%
4th clearest
Wind
23 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Port Vila is capital and largest city of Vanuatu.

Density
1,521/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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Port Vila reaches about 27°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 26°C and 28°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)
12625
22625
32625
42625
52625
62625
72625
82625
92625
102725
112725
122725
132725
142725
152725
162725
172725
182725
192726
202726
212726
222726
232726
242726
252726
262726
272726
282726
292726
302726
312726

Port Vila weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 26°18617.912.95.3
Feb28° / 26°19219.112.64.8
Mar28° / 26°23721.812.14.7
Apr27° / 26°2091911.65.1
May26° / 25°14612.611.26.2
Jun25° / 24°10410.2116.7
Jul24° / 23°667.8117.3
Aug24° / 23°577.611.47.4
Sep24° / 23°73811.97.3
Oct25° / 24°858.612.47.2
Nov26° / 25°7910.412.86.7
Dec27° / 25°13214.6136.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35446
45446
55545
65545
75644
85644
95743
105842
115842
125842
135842
145941
155842
165842
175743
185743
195644
205644
215545
225545
235446
245446
255347
265347
275149
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Port Vila gets around 132 mm of rain over 14.6 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 47% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
246
346
446
546
646
746
846
946
1045
1145
1245
1345
1445
1545
1645
1746
1846
1946
2047
2147
2247
2348
2448
2548
2649
2749
2849
2950
3051
3151

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 68% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 97% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1622666
2522676
3522676
4522676
5422686
6422686
7422686
8422686
9322696
10322696
11322696
12321706
13321706
14321706
15321697
16320707
17320698
18319708
19318709
203186910
213176911
222166913
232156914
242156815
251146916
261146718
271136719
281136620
291126522
300126523
310126424

Wind in December

Winds average 23 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 23 km/h on the calmest days to 24 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
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1823breezy
1923breezy
2023breezy
2123breezy
2223breezy
2323breezy
2423breezy
2523breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of December to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:07 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.05:076:06
213.05:076:07
313.05:076:07
413.05:076:08
513.05:086:08
613.05:086:09
713.05:086:10
813.05:086:10
913.05:096:11
1013.05:096:11
1113.05:096:12
1213.05:106:12
1313.05:106:13
1413.15:106:14
1513.15:116:14
1613.15:116:15
1713.15:126:15
1813.15:126:16
1913.15:126:16
2013.15:136:17
2113.15:136:17
2213.15:146:18
2313.15:146:18
2413.15:156:19
2513.15:156:19
2613.15:166:19
2713.15:166:20
2813.15:176:20
2913.15:176:21
3013.15:186:21
3113.05:186:21

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.65 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Port Vila

In seasonPeak

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

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

Port Vila's rainy season runs December–May, 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 Port Vila?

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

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

December is a reasonable time to visit Port Vila for sightseeing.

What to pack for Port Vila in December

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

In December, Port Vila sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 25°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Port Vila in December

The nearest coast averages about 28°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 February at about 29°C and coldest in August near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr28Tropical
May27Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct26Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec28Warm

UV index in Port Vila 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 Port Vila peaks around February 15 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 7 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 15UV 16Jun 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May8Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep13Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Port Vila?

Port Vila sits at 17.7°S, 168.3°E, 10 m above sea level, in Vanuatu. The nearest listed city is Ouvéa, 374 km away.

Topography around Port Vila

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Vila has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 132 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 646 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 631 m.

The land around Port Vila is covered by trees (42%) and water (33%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and water (40%) within 16 km, and water (90%) within 80 km.

3 km
132 m
16 km
646 m
80 km
631 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ouvéa 374 km · Bourail 518 km · Dumbéa 528 km · Mont-Dore 535 km · Noumea 541 km · Nadi 964 km · Lautoka 968 km · Sigatoka 973 km

Vanuatu travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,039
2025
Safe drinking water
19%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
14.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 40%Roman Catholic 12%other 12%customary beliefs 3%

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 Port Vila (-17.7365°, 168.3137°, elevation 10 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).