Climate averages 1991–2020
Addis Ababa weather
in December.
A mild, very dry month: the 6th warmest and the driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a mild month in Addis Ababa: daytime highs average 21.7°C and nights cool to about 8.4°C. By daytime temperature it is the 6th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 5.8 mm of rain on roughly 1 day, which makes December a very dry month (the driest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 11 h 36 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Sebeta (19 km away). In December its highs average 22.1°C, about as warm as Addis Ababa, with 5.6 mm of rain.
Among the 40 cities listed in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa ranks 37th of 40 for the warmest December highs and joint 15th of 40 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 40 cities is 24.5°C; Addis Ababa is 2.7°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 0.5°C to 22.3°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 5.8 mm to 15 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
Addis Ababa climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22.3°C9.1°C | 9.1°C | 15 | 3.3 | 11.712 h |
| February | 23.5°C10.1°C | 10.1°C | 19 | 4.2 | 11.812 h |
| March | 23.7°C11.3°C | 11.3°C | 65 | 9.9 | 12.112 h |
| April | 23.3°C11.7°C | 11.7°C | 142 | 13.6 | 12.312 h |
| May | 22.9°C11.5°C | 11.5°C | 177 | 13.6 | 12.513 h |
| June | 21.3°C11.0°C | 11.0°C | 267 | 23.5 | 12.613 h |
| July | 19.8°C11.2°C | 11.2°C | 377 | 30.9 | 12.613 h |
| August | 19.8°C11.2°C | 11.2°C | 407 | 31.0 | 12.412 h |
| September | 20.0°C10.3°C | 10.3°C | 275 | 24.9 | 12.212 h |
| October | 20.8°C8.8°C | 8.8°C | 48 | 6.9 | 11.912 h |
| November | 21.6°C8.6°C | 8.6°C | 9.5 | 1.8 | 11.712 h |
| December, selected | 21.7°C8.4°C | 8.4°C | 5.8 | 1.2 | 11.612 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
- Sebeta in DecemberEthiopia · 19 kmHigh 22.1°C · Low 8.7°C · 5.6 mm rain
- Bishoftu in DecemberEthiopia · 40 kmHigh 23.1°C · Low 9.0°C · 2.1 mm rain
- Nazrēt in DecemberEthiopia · 78 kmHigh 25.6°C · Low 12.2°C · 2.0 mm rain
- Mek’ī in DecemberEthiopia · 98 kmHigh 25.8°C · Low 14.1°C · 2.5 mm rain
- Hāgere Hiywet in DecemberEthiopia · 99 kmHigh 24.9°C · Low 11.4°C · 16 mm rain
- Waliso in DecemberEthiopia · 102 kmHigh 23.9°C · Low 10.9°C · 4.9 mm rain
- Butajīra in DecemberEthiopia · 109 kmHigh 23.5°C · Low 11.3°C · 14 mm rain
- Debre Birhan in DecemberEthiopia · 113 kmHigh 18.2°C · Low 6.9°C · 17 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 Addis Ababa) is explained once on the Addis Ababa year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.