Bulawayo weather in December

In December, Bulawayo sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 148 mm of rain across 17 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-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 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of December to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Bulawayo's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bulawayo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
17°
11th coldest
Rainfall
148 mm
17 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:25 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Bulawayo is city in Zimbabwe.

Density
390/km²
people per km²
Founded
1840

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 Bulawayo reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C cooler than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12817
22817
32817
42717
52717
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222817
232817
242817
252717
262717
272717
282717
292717
302717
312717

Bulawayo weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°13314.813.15.7
Feb27° / 17°11011.712.76.1
Mar27° / 16°659.512.16.8
Apr25° / 13°23411.68.1
May24° / 10°61.311.19.1
Jun22° / 40.810.88.8
Jul21° / 30.710.98.7
Aug25° / 10.211.39.3
Sep28° / 13°51.411.97.8
Oct30° / 15°235.612.56.1
Nov29° / 17°8712.7135.2
Dec27° / 17°1481713.25.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
23961
33862
43862
53763
63664
73565
83565
93664
103664
113664
123763
133862
143862
153961
164060
174159
184159
194258
204159
214159
224159
234159
244060
254060
263961
273961
283961
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bulawayo gets around 148 mm of rain over 17 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 54% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
249
350
451
552
653
754
855
956
1056
1157
1257
1356
1456
1556
1655
1755
1854
1954
2054
2154
2254
2354
2454
2554
2654
2754
2853
2952
3052
3151

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13029391
22929412
32828422
42728432
52627452
62527462
72426482
82326492
92225503
102125513
112025523
121924543
131924534
141824544
151824535
161824535
171724536
181724527
191724527
201624528
211624528
221525519
231525519
2414255110
2514265010
2614265010
2713275010
2813274911
2913274911
3014274811
3114274811

Wind in December

Winds average 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of December to 13 h 12 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 5:21 AM to 5:33 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:216:29
213.15:226:30
313.15:226:31
413.25:226:31
513.25:226:32
613.25:226:32
713.25:236:33
813.25:236:34
913.25:236:34
1013.25:236:35
1113.25:246:35
1213.25:246:36
1313.25:246:37
1413.25:256:37
1513.25:256:38
1613.25:256:38
1713.25:266:39
1813.25:266:39
1913.25:276:40
2013.25:276:40
2113.25:286:41
2213.25:286:41
2313.25:286:42
2413.25:296:42
2513.25:296:43
2613.25:306:43
2713.25:316:43
2813.25:316:44
2913.25:326:44
3013.25:326:45
3113.25:336:45

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.38 kWh/m² to a high of 6.86 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 6.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.2Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bulawayo

In seasonPeak

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

Bulawayo's rainy season runs November–February, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Bulawayo?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Bulawayo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bulawayo in December

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

In December, Bulawayo sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bulawayo in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bulawayo peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 7 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jun 20UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bulawayo 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 Bulawayo is worst in June — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2228 µg/m³Jan 137 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr16Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bulawayo?

Bulawayo sits at 20.1°S, 28.6°E, 1,348 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Gwanda, 98 km away.

GwandaGweruZvishavaneShurugwiFrancistownTutumeRedcliffTonota

Topography around Bulawayo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bulawayo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 1,343 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 261 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 624 m.

The land around Bulawayo is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (59%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
261 m
80 km
624 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Gwanda 98 km · Gweru 151 km · Zvishavane 156 km · Shurugwi 158 km · Francistown 159 km · Tutume 166 km · Redcliff 177 km · Tonota 185 km

Zimbabwe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 56% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,021
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
25%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
41.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Apostolic Sect 40%Pentecostal 17%Protestant 14%none 8%

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 Bulawayo (-20.15°, 28.5833°, elevation 1,348 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).