Climate averages 1991–2020
Kigali weather
in December.
A warm, wet month: the 8th warmest and the 8th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a warm month in Kigali: daytime highs average 24.4°C and nights cool to about 14.1°C. By daytime temperature it is the 8th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 92 mm of rain on roughly 18 days, which makes December a wet month (the 8th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 14 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Gitarama (36 km away). In December its highs average 22.6°C, 1.8°C cooler than Kigali, with 117 mm of rain.
Among the 5 cities listed in Rwanda, Kigali ranks 2nd of 5 for the warmest December highs and 2nd of 5 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 5 cities is 23.6°C; Kigali is 0.8°C warmer than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 0.6°C to 25.0°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 92 mm to 77 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
Kigali climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25.0°C14.5°C | 14.5°C | 77 | 15.4 | 12.212 h |
| February | 25.7°C14.8°C | 14.8°C | 79 | 14.7 | 12.212 h |
| March | 25.1°C14.7°C | 14.7°C | 105 | 21.0 | 12.112 h |
| April | 24.0°C15.0°C | 15.0°C | 137 | 24.0 | 12.112 h |
| May | 23.9°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 83 | 15.9 | 12.012 h |
| June | 24.2°C14.9°C | 14.9°C | 14 | 2.7 | 12.012 h |
| July | 25.2°C15.1°C | 15.1°C | 4.4 | 0.8 | 12.012 h |
| August | 25.9°C15.4°C | 15.4°C | 24 | 4.0 | 12.112 h |
| September | 25.7°C15.0°C | 15.0°C | 54 | 10.3 | 12.112 h |
| October | 24.9°C14.7°C | 14.7°C | 117 | 18.6 | 12.212 h |
| November | 24.2°C14.1°C | 14.1°C | 130 | 22.5 | 12.212 h |
| December, selected | 24.4°C14.1°C | 14.1°C | 92 | 18.2 | 12.212 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
- Gitarama in DecemberRwanda · 36 kmHigh 22.6°C · Low 12.0°C · 117 mm rain
- Muhanga in DecemberRwanda · 40 kmHigh 22.7°C · Low 12.5°C · 117 mm rain
- Musanze in DecemberRwanda · 69 kmHigh 22.4°C · Low 15.0°C · 207 mm rain
- Nyagatare in DecemberRwanda · 78 kmHigh 25.7°C · Low 15.3°C · 79 mm rain
- Rutshuru in DecemberDemocratic Republic of the Congo · 109 kmHigh 25.1°C · Low 15.0°C · 201 mm rain
- Bukavu in DecemberDemocratic Republic of the Congo · 148 kmHigh 23.9°C · Low 16.0°C · 310 mm rain
- Rutoma in DecemberUganda · 158 kmHigh 24.7°C · Low 15.8°C · 116 mm rain
- Mbarara in DecemberUganda · 163 kmHigh 25.2°C · Low 15.6°C · 61 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 Kigali) is explained once on the Kigali year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.