Climate averages 1991–2020
Canberra weather
in December.
A warm, moderately wet month: the 3rd warmest and the 10th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a warm month in Canberra: daytime highs average 24.3°C and nights cool to about 12.1°C. By daytime temperature it is the 3rd warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 55 mm of rain on roughly 7 days, which makes December a moderately wet month (the 10th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 14 h 29 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Tuggeranong (16 km away). In December its highs average 24.3°C, about as warm as Canberra, with 81 mm of rain.
Among the 32 cities listed in Australia, Canberra ranks joint 22nd of 32 for the warmest December highs and 9th of 32 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 32 cities is 26.0°C; Canberra is 1.6°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 2.4°C to 26.7°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 55 mm to 48 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Canberra climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26.7°C14.3°C | 14.3°C | 48 | 6.5 | 14.214 h |
| February | 25.2°C13.9°C | 13.9°C | 52 | 6.0 | 13.413 h |
| March | 22.5°C11.7°C | 11.7°C | 38 | 5.3 | 12.312 h |
| April | 18.5°C8.0°C | 8.0°C | 27 | 3.9 | 11.211 h |
| May | 14.3°C4.3°C | 4.3°C | 28 | 4.3 | 10.310 h |
| June | 10.9°C2.5°C | 2.5°C | 52 | 6.9 | 9.810 h |
| July | 10.0°C1.3°C | 1.3°C | 37 | 6.7 | 10.010 h |
| August | 11.4°C1.6°C | 1.6°C | 49 | 7.5 | 10.811 h |
| September | 14.9°C4.0°C | 4.0°C | 51 | 7.3 | 11.812 h |
| October | 18.5°C6.8°C | 6.8°C | 56 | 7.3 | 13.013 h |
| November | 21.5°C9.8°C | 9.8°C | 58 | 8.3 | 13.914 h |
| December, selected | 24.3°C12.1°C | 12.1°C | 55 | 6.9 | 14.514 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Tuggeranong in DecemberAustralia · 16 kmHigh 24.3°C · Low 12.1°C · 81 mm rain
- Wollongong in DecemberAustralia · 187 kmHigh 23.5°C · Low 17.5°C · 72 mm rain
- Blue Mountains in DecemberAustralia · 206 kmHigh 22.1°C · Low 11.0°C · 121 mm rain
- Sydney in DecemberAustralia · 247 kmHigh 24.2°C · Low 17.8°C · 60 mm rain
- Central Coast in DecemberAustralia · 291 kmHigh 24.4°C · Low 18.4°C · 70 mm rain
- Newcastle, Australia in DecemberAustralia · 358 kmHigh 24.7°C · Low 18.6°C · 70 mm rain
- Maitland in DecemberAustralia · 361 kmHigh 27.5°C · Low 17.6°C · 71 mm rain
- Bendigo in DecemberAustralia · 466 kmHigh 25.8°C · Low 13.1°C · 43 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Canberra) is explained once on the Canberra year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.