Climate averages 1991–2020
Zanzibar weather
in December.
A hot, wet month: the 4th warmest and the 9th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a hot month in Zanzibar: daytime highs average 29.6°C and nights cool to about 25.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 4th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 93 mm of rain on roughly 20 days, which makes December a wet month (the 9th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 28 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Bagamoyo (45 km away). In December its highs average 30.3°C, 0.6°C warmer than Zanzibar, with 95 mm of rain.
Among the 43 cities listed in Tanzania, Zanzibar ranks joint 11th of 43 for the warmest December highs and 6th of 43 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 43 cities is 27.1°C; Zanzibar is 2.5°C warmer than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 0.4°C to 30.0°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 93 mm to 43 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
Zanzibar climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30.0°C26.1°C | 26.1°C | 43 | 9.7 | 12.412 h |
| February | 30.5°C26.2°C | 26.2°C | 36 | 7.7 | 12.312 h |
| March | 30.1°C25.7°C | 25.7°C | 122 | 21.0 | 12.112 h |
| April | 28.6°C24.9°C | 24.9°C | 200 | 25.5 | 12.012 h |
| May | 27.7°C24.3°C | 24.3°C | 146 | 18.8 | 11.812 h |
| June | 27.4°C23.5°C | 23.5°C | 35 | 9.6 | 11.812 h |
| July | 27.3°C22.8°C | 22.8°C | 22 | 6.4 | 11.812 h |
| August | 27.6°C22.6°C | 22.6°C | 21 | 6.2 | 11.912 h |
| September | 28.5°C23.1°C | 23.1°C | 19 | 5.4 | 12.112 h |
| October | 29.2°C23.9°C | 23.9°C | 52 | 9.8 | 12.212 h |
| November | 29.3°C24.7°C | 24.7°C | 84 | 18.0 | 12.412 h |
| December, selected | 29.6°C25.5°C | 25.5°C | 93 | 20.3 | 12.512 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
- Bagamoyo in DecemberTanzania · 45 kmHigh 30.3°C · Low 24.6°C · 95 mm rain
- Dar es Salaam in DecemberTanzania · 74 kmHigh 30.2°C · Low 24.9°C · 94 mm rain
- Kibaha in DecemberTanzania · 74 kmHigh 30.5°C · Low 23.4°C · 104 mm rain
- Vikindu in DecemberTanzania · 94 kmHigh 30.1°C · Low 24.6°C · 91 mm rain
- Tanga in DecemberTanzania · 122 kmHigh 31.4°C · Low 24.5°C · 68 mm rain
- Handeni in DecemberTanzania · 154 kmHigh 29.3°C · Low 20.8°C · 141 mm rain
- Morogoro in DecemberTanzania · 185 kmHigh 30.1°C · Low 22.0°C · 102 mm rain
- Ukunda in DecemberKenya · 212 kmHigh 30.5°C · Low 24.6°C · 59 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 Zanzibar) is explained once on the Zanzibar year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.