Dakhla weather in December

In December, Dakhla sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 5 mm of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of December to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dakhla's 11th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dakhla's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
7th warmest
Overnight low
17°
4th coldest
Rainfall
5 mm
0.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 30 min
7:44 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
32%
11th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.2
out of 10

Dakhla is city in Western Sahara.

Founded
1884

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 20°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dakhla reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12018
22018
32018
42018
52018
62017
72017
82017
92017
102017
112017
122017
132017
142017
152017
162017
172017
182017
192017
202017
212017
222017
232017
242017
252017
262017
272017
282017
292017
302017
312016

Dakhla weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 16°40.710.78.1
Feb19° / 16°20.511.28.1
Mar19° / 17°30.311.88.3
Apr19° / 17°10.112.58.2
May20° / 18°00.113.18.3
Jun20° / 19°00.113.48.8
Jul21° / 20°0013.38.9
Aug22° / 21°10.212.89.1
Sep22° / 21°60.512.19.0
Oct22° / 21°30.411.48.7
Nov21° / 19°20.210.98.5
Dec20° / 17°50.510.68.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47525
57525
67525
77525
87525
97624
107723
117723
127723
137822
147822
157822
167822
177723
187723
197723
207624
217525
227525
237426
247426
257426
267327
277327
287426
297525
307525
317624

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dakhla gets around 5 mm of rain over 0.5 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 2% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
11
21
31
41
51
62
72
82
92
102
112
122
132
142
152
162
172
182
192
202
212
222
231
241
251
261
271
281
291
301
311

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 46% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12945224
23145214
33244204
43443194
53643184
63742183
73841173
83940173
94039173
104138183
114237183
124336182
134435192
144534192
154633192
164731193
174730203
184830203
194929193
205028193
215028193
225128183
235228173
245328163
255428153
265628142
275728132
285728132
295828122
305929111
316029101

Wind in December

Winds average 22 km/h in December, the calmest month.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of December to 10 h 36 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 7:34 AM to 7:50 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.67:346:13
210.67:356:13
310.67:366:13
410.67:366:13
510.67:376:13
610.67:386:14
710.67:386:14
810.67:396:14
910.67:396:14
1010.67:406:14
1110.67:416:15
1210.67:416:15
1310.67:426:15
1410.67:426:16
1510.67:436:16
1610.57:446:16
1710.57:446:17
1810.57:456:17
1910.57:456:18
2010.57:466:18
2110.57:466:18
2210.57:476:19
2310.57:476:19
2410.57:486:20
2510.57:486:20
2610.57:486:21
2710.57:496:21
2810.57:496:22
2910.67:506:23
3010.67:506:23
3110.67:506:24

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 4.21 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.21 kWh/m² to a high of 7.62 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 4.21 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Dakhla

In seasonPeak

None of Dakhla's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Dakhla sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Dakhla sees seasonal dust haze (June–October), heaviest in July.

Atlantic hurricane
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Dakhla?

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

8.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Dakhla for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Dakhla in December

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

In December, Dakhla sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: a windbreaker.

a windbreaker

Sea temperature near Dakhla in December

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 18 km away) is warmest in October at about 21°C and coldest in February near 18°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 9 to Nov 2 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul19Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Dakhla in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dakhla peaks around August 22 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateAug 22UV 10Dec 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb7Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov6High
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Dakhla 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 Dakhla is worst in December — around 48 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.0× the cleanest month (May, 16 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2448 µg/m³May 1016 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan47Poor
Feb40Poor
Mar31Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul29Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct25Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec48Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Dakhla?

Dakhla sits at 23.7°N, 16.0°W, 6 m above sea level, in Western Sahara. The nearest listed city is Boujdour, 310 km away.

BoujdourNouadhibouZouératPlaya del InglesMaspalomasEl MarsaAtarMogán

Topography around Dakhla

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Dakhla has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 252 m.

The land around Dakhla is covered by water (49%) and bare terrain (32%) within 3 km, water (84%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (58%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
15 m
16 km
57 m
80 km
252 m
artificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Boujdour 310 km · Nouadhibou 325 km · Zouérat 372 km · Playa del Ingles 454 km · Maspalomas 455 km · El Marsa 457 km · Atar 462 km · Mogán 467 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Dakhla (23.6848°, -15.958°, elevation 6 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. 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).