Tonga weather in December - temperature, rain and is it a good time to visit?

Weather in December at a glance

Daytime temperature
28°C
Night-time temperature
23°C
Sea temperature
28°C
Daylight hours
13h25min
Chance of rain
48%
Days with thunderstorms
5%
Muggy days
100%

An overview for the country. Conditions can vary between cities and regions.

Plan your trip · December

Tonga in December: weather for a week away

Compare destinations and see how many days of a typical trip met your preferred temperature range, with less than 1 mm of daily precipitation.

Historical dataNASA POWER1981-2025
City or region
Compare with history
What weather do you prefer?

Nukuʻalofa in December: Sightseeing

1981-2025

Daytime temperature 18-28°CDaily precipitation Less than 1 mm

Days matching your plans
3.4 / 7

Weekly average; typical number of days: 1-5

At least 5 matching days
32%

of historical weeks

All 7 days match
7%

of historical weeks

How many matching days were there in a week?

Each bar shows the share of historical weeks.

5-7 days matching your preferences

When to go? Compare the months

Average matching days per week

The highest average was in July: 4.4 matching days per week.

Tonga in December: which destinations match most often?

Comparison of 1 cities and regions using your selected conditions.

Nukuʻalofa · 1981-2025

Hot days and warm nights in December

Does the temperature drop below 20°C during hot weather?

No hot days in these records
100%of weeks with at least 3 warm nights*

None of the 1,395 days reached 30°C. There are no hot days to compare, although warm nights may still occur.

* A warm night is represented by the daily minimum ≥20°C. Maximum and minimum refer to the same day; this does not isolate the night following a particular hot day.

Nukuʻalofa · Your holiday week

How much can temperatures change during a week?

Check cooler hours as well as afternoon temperatures.

Coolest time of day23.6-25.3°CWeekly minimum: typical range
Warmest day25.8-27.3°CWeekly maximum: typical range
1.1°CTypical difference between the highest and lowest daytime maxima in a week

How often does it get cooler from one day to the next?

0%of weeks with a day-to-day drop in maximum temperature of at least 5°C

Daytime temperatures usually changed gradually, but allow for cooler hours when packing.

Ranges are the 20th-80th percentiles of whole-week minima and maxima, not forecast limits. Cooling compares consecutive daily maxima, not day and night temperatures.

Compare all destinations
18-28°C · Less than 1 mm · 1981-2025
City or regionDays matching your plansAt least 5 matching daysAll 7 days match
Nukuʻalofa3.4 / 732%7%
Where do the figures come from?

The analysis includes 1,125 complete 7-day periods out of 1,125 possible periods in 45 years (1981-2025), for Nukuʻalofa. Every week lies entirely within the selected month. Overlapping weeks are not independent samples. Incomplete weeks are excluded.

A matching day has a daily maximum within the selected temperature range, inclusive, and precipitation below 1 mm. Trace precipitation is possible. The typical range is the 20th-80th percentile of matching days per week. Daily percentages count each calendar day once; categories can overlap.

NASA POWER provides daily MERRA-2 grid data for each location, not city weather-station measurements or an area-wide country average. These are historical frequencies, not a forecast or a measure of forecast accuracy. This comparison does not include cloud, wind, humidity, sea temperature or changes within the day, and does not assess outdoor safety. Check the current forecast before travelling. NASA POWER Daily API.

Historical frequency, not a forecast for your travel dates.

Tonga - December vs the year - annual climate
In December, Tonga averages about 28° during the day and 23° at night. There's a moderate chance of rain (about 48%). The sea is around 28°C - very warm for swimming.
Historical weather 1981-2025

Weather in Tonga in December: trends from 1981 to 2025

NASA POWER

From 2016 to 2025, the average daytime high was 26.5°C, 1°C warmer than in 1981-1990. 2022 was the warmest (27.2°C), while 2009 was the coolest (24.2°C).

Differences between years

How similar is the weather in December from year to year?

In 37% of the years compared, temperature and the number of wet days were close to typical for this month.

Similar means an average daily maximum within 2°C and a wet-day count within 3 days of the 1991-2020 medians. This is historical similarity, not forecast accuracy.
37%of years with similar conditions
Typical average daytime high25.5°C–26.5°C
Typical number of wet days13–21 days

Daytime temperatures in December: year by year

Monthly average daily maximum temperature: compare individual years and the longer-term trend.

45 years of data
Coolest month24.2°C 2009
Warmest month27.2°C 2022
Latest year in the data26.5°C 2025
23°24°25°26°27°28°1981: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum1982: 24.4°C · Average daytime maximum1983: 25.6°C · Average daytime maximum1984: 26.1°C · Average daytime maximum1985: 25.2°C · Average daytime maximum1986: 25.2°C · Average daytime maximum1987: 26.2°C · Average daytime maximum1988: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum1989: 24.7°C · Average daytime maximum1990: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum1991: 25.6°C · Average daytime maximum1992: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum1993: 26.3°C · Average daytime maximum1994: 25.5°C · Average daytime maximum1995: 26.4°C · Average daytime maximum1996: 26.6°C · Average daytime maximum1997: 25.6°C · Average daytime maximum1998: 26.9°C · Average daytime maximum1999: 26°C · Average daytime maximum2000: 25.9°C · Average daytime maximum2001: 25.7°C · Average daytime maximum2002: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum2003: 25.9°C · Average daytime maximum2004: 26.1°C · Average daytime maximum2005: 26.6°C · Average daytime maximum2006: 25.1°C · Average daytime maximum2007: 26°C · Average daytime maximum2008: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 24.2°C · Average daytime maximum2010: 26.1°C · Average daytime maximum2011: 26.4°C · Average daytime maximum2012: 26.5°C · Average daytime maximum2013: 26.9°C · Average daytime maximum2014: 25.1°C · Average daytime maximum2015: 25.3°C · Average daytime maximum2016: 25.9°C · Average daytime maximum2017: 25.5°C · Average daytime maximum2018: 26.4°C · Average daytime maximum2019: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum2020: 26.3°C · Average daytime maximum2021: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum2022: 27.2°C · Average daytime maximum2023: 26.8°C · Average daytime maximum2024: 26.9°C · Average daytime maximum2025: 26.5°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 24.2°C2022: 27.2°C2025: 26.5°C19811990200020102020202523°24°25°26°27°28°1981: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum1982: 24.4°C · Average daytime maximum1983: 25.6°C · Average daytime maximum1984: 26.1°C · Average daytime maximum1985: 25.2°C · Average daytime maximum1986: 25.2°C · Average daytime maximum1987: 26.2°C · Average daytime maximum1988: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum1989: 24.7°C · Average daytime maximum1990: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum1991: 25.6°C · Average daytime maximum1992: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum1993: 26.3°C · Average daytime maximum1994: 25.5°C · Average daytime maximum1995: 26.4°C · Average daytime maximum1996: 26.6°C · Average daytime maximum1997: 25.6°C · Average daytime maximum1998: 26.9°C · Average daytime maximum1999: 26°C · Average daytime maximum2000: 25.9°C · Average daytime maximum2001: 25.7°C · Average daytime maximum2002: 25.4°C · Average daytime maximum2003: 25.9°C · Average daytime maximum2004: 26.1°C · Average daytime maximum2005: 26.6°C · Average daytime maximum2006: 25.1°C · Average daytime maximum2007: 26°C · Average daytime maximum2008: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 24.2°C · Average daytime maximum2010: 26.1°C · Average daytime maximum2011: 26.4°C · Average daytime maximum2012: 26.5°C · Average daytime maximum2013: 26.9°C · Average daytime maximum2014: 25.1°C · Average daytime maximum2015: 25.3°C · Average daytime maximum2016: 25.9°C · Average daytime maximum2017: 25.5°C · Average daytime maximum2018: 26.4°C · Average daytime maximum2019: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum2020: 26.3°C · Average daytime maximum2021: 26.7°C · Average daytime maximum2022: 27.2°C · Average daytime maximum2023: 26.8°C · Average daytime maximum2024: 26.9°C · Average daytime maximum2025: 26.5°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 24.2°C2022: 27.2°C2025: 26.5°C198120002025
Average for each year5-year average1991-2020 reference: 26°C

Blue band: the 20th-80th percentile of monthly averages in 1991-2020. The thicker line is the average of five consecutive years. Highlights describe whole months, not single-day records.

View temperatures for every year
YearAverage daytime maximum5-year average
198126.7°C-
198224.4°C-
198325.6°C-
198426.1°C-
198525.2°C25.6°C
198625.2°C25.3°C
198726.2°C25.7°C
198825.4°C25.6°C
198924.7°C25.3°C
199025.4°C25.4°C
199125.6°C25.5°C
199225.4°C25.3°C
199326.3°C25.5°C
199425.5°C25.6°C
199526.4°C25.8°C
199626.6°C26°C
199725.6°C26.1°C
199826.9°C26.2°C
199926°C26.3°C
200025.9°C26.2°C
200125.7°C26°C
200225.4°C26°C
200325.9°C25.8°C
200426.1°C25.8°C
200526.6°C25.9°C
200625.1°C25.8°C
200726°C25.9°C
200826.7°C26.1°C
200924.2°C25.7°C
201026.1°C25.6°C
201126.4°C25.9°C
201226.5°C26°C
201326.9°C26°C
201425.1°C26.2°C
201525.3°C26°C
201625.9°C25.9°C
201725.5°C25.7°C
201826.4°C25.6°C
201926.7°C26°C
202026.3°C26.2°C
202126.7°C26.3°C
202227.2°C26.7°C
202326.8°C26.7°C
202426.9°C26.8°C
202526.5°C26.8°C

How has December changed since the 1980s?

A comparison of 1981-1990 with 2016-2025 shows how temperatures, rainfall and the frequency of longer hot spells have changed.

In the latest decade, the average daytime high was 1°C warmer than in 1981-1990.

Daytime high
1981-199025.5°C2016-202526.5°C
change: +1°C
Hot days
1981-19900 days2016-20250 days
change: 0 days
Warm nights
1981-199031 days2016-202531 days
change: 0 days
Wet days
1981-199015.4 days2016-202517.5 days
change: +2.1 days
Years with a heatwave
1981-19900%2016-20250%
change: 0 pp

How often does December bring heat, frost and rain?

Typical number of days and monthly precipitation based on the 1991-2020 climate normal.

Warm days28 dayshigh of at least 25°C
Hot days0 dayshigh of at least 30°C
Frost nights0 dayslow below 0°C
Warm nights31 dayslow of at least 20°C
Wet days17 daysat least 1 mm
Monthly rainfall116 mmtypical total

How often does it rain in Tonga in December?

The chances use every consecutive 3-, 5- and 7-day period from 1981 to 2025. A wet day has at least 1 mm of precipitation.

A full seven days without rain occurred in 7% of historical periods. At least one wet day occurred in 93% of weeks.

3 rain-free days27%historical chance
5 rain-free days15%historical chance
7 rain-free days7%historical chance
Longest dry spell6 daystypical in the month
Longest wet spell7 daystypical in the month

Heatwaves, warm nights and cool spells in December

The percentages show years with at least one run of three consecutive days or nights meeting the stated threshold.

Heatwave0%3 days with highs of at least 30°C0 of 45 years
Run of warm nights100%3 nights with lows of at least 20°C45 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10
Run of frosty nights0%3 nights with lows below 0°C0 of 45 years
Marked cool spell58%3 days with highs no greater than 25.2°C26 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10

Highest and lowest values since 1981

Highest temperature28.5°C
Coolest night21.5°C
Wettest day93 mm

Start, middle or end of the month - when is the weather most stable?

We compare temperatures, dry days, heavy rain and wind. The highlighted period usually has the lowest combined risk of rain and stronger winds.

Days 1-10most stable
25.7°CDaytime high24.8°CNight
Dry days
5 days
Heavy-rain risk
9%
Hot days
0%
Stronger wind
12%
Days 11-20
26°CDaytime high25.1°CNight
Dry days
5 days
Heavy-rain risk
15%
Hot days
0%
Stronger wind
17%
Day 21 to month end
26.2°CDaytime high25.3°CNight
Dry days
6 days
Heavy-rain risk
10%
Hot days
0%
Stronger wind
17%

The most stable conditions for rain and wind usually occur during: Days 1-10.

Country values are the median of data for 1 cities covered by the site. Source: NASA POWER daily gridded data (MERRA-2), 1981-2025; 1991-2020 climate normal. These are area-based model data and can differ from official weather-station records.

Tonga weather all year - average temperatures and rain

MonthDayNightChance of rain
January 30℃24℃50%
February 30℃24℃67%
March 29℃24℃67%
April 28℃22℃46%
May ★ 27℃22℃54%
June ★ 26℃21℃54%
July ★ 25℃19℃52%
August ★ 24℃19℃48%
September ★ 25℃19℃41%
October ★ 26℃20℃40%
November ★ 28℃22℃45%
December 28℃23℃48%
★ - months most often recommended for travel
Travelling soon? Check the live 14-day weather forecast for Tonga.

Tonga weather - other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember