Mutare weather in December

In December, Mutare sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 203 mm of rain across 18.6 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of December to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mutare's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mutare's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
203 mm
18.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:11 AM – 6:20 PM
Cloud cover
66%
11th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.07 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Mutare is city in Zimbabwe.

Founded
1897

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mutare reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Mutare 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° / 18°20118.7135.2
Feb26° / 18°14615.812.65.5
Mar26° / 17°10313.412.16.3
Apr24° / 15°417.511.67.7
May23° / 12°132.811.18.5
Jun21° / 10°72.210.98.2
Jul21° / 10°92.3118.1
Aug23° / 11°6211.48.8
Sep26° / 13°153.711.98.4
Oct27° / 15°356.512.47.5
Nov27° / 17°10713.112.96.1
Dec26° / 18°20318.613.15.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 62%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44456
54357
64258
74258
84159
93961
103862
113763
123763
133664
143565
153565
163565
173565
183565
193664
203664
213664
223664
233664
243664
253664
263664
273664
283664
293664
303763
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mutare gets around 203 mm of rain over 18.6 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 60% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
254
354
455
555
656
757
858
959
1060
1161
1261
1362
1462
1562
1662
1762
1862
1962
2062
2162
2261
2361
2461
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3061
3161

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 47% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
16243732
26243733
36233834
45223834
55213835
64203936
74203937
84193939
93173940
103163941
112154043
122144044
132134045
141124046
151114047
161104048
171103950
18193951
19193852
20183853
21183754
22173755
23173755
24163756
25063757
26063757
27053758
28053857
29053857
30063856
31063856

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of December to 13 h 06 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 5:07 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.15:076:11
213.15:076:11
313.15:086:12
413.15:086:13
513.15:086:13
613.15:086:14
713.15:086:14
813.15:096:15
913.15:096:16
1013.15:096:16
1113.15:106:17
1213.15:106:17
1313.15:106:18
1413.15:116:18
1513.15:116:19
1613.15:116:20
1713.15:126:20
1813.15:126:21
1913.15:136:21
2013.15:136:22
2113.15:146:22
2213.15:146:23
2313.15:146:23
2413.15:156:23
2513.15:156:24
2613.15:166:24
2713.15:166:25
2813.15:176:25
2913.15:186:26
3013.15:186:26
3113.15:196:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.07 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 6.07 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.1Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.0Intense
126.0Intense
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Intense
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mutare

In seasonPeak

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

Mutare's monsoon runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Mutare?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mutare for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mutare in December

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

In December, Mutare sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Mutare 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 Mutare peaks around January 17 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 highExtremeJan 17UV 15Jun 19UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr10Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct13Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mutare 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 Mutare is worst in September — around 102 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 15.6× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateUnhealthyGoodSep 1696 µg/m³Jan 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug53Poor
Sep102Unhealthy
Oct55Unhealthy
Nov13Moderate
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mutare?

Mutare sits at 19.0°S, 32.7°E, 1,116 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Machipanda, 7.0 km away.

RusapeChimanimaniCatandica

Topography around Mutare

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mutare has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 526 m around an average of 1,134 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,132 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,118 m.

The land around Mutare is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (39%) and shrubs (31%) within 16 km, and trees (33%), shrubs (27%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
526 m
16 km
1,132 m
80 km
2,118 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Machipanda 7.0 km · Manica 22 km · Messica 43 km · Rusape 75 km · Chimoio 87 km · Chimanimani 94 km · Gondola 104 km · Catandica 115 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 Mutare (-18.9707°, 32.6709°, elevation 1,116 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).