ClimateForecastDecemberJanuary >>

Weather in December in The Cook Islands

Planning a journey to the Cook Islands this December and curious over the weather conditions to await? Your essential details are found on this page, answering your query:

What is the weather like in the Cook Islands in December?

December in the Cook Islands generally has warm temperatures, with heavy precipitation.

Temperatures

The average maximum temperatures are warm and range from 27°C in Muri to 29°C in Penrhyn. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 27°C in Penrhyn and 24°C in Muri.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From heavy rainfall in Penrhyn with an average of 161 mm to heavy rainfall in Pukapuka with 333 mm.

Average sunshine

Most areas experience a moderate amount of sunshine, with approximately 173 hours of sunlight expected in Rarotonga. This makes it neither too gloomy nor overly bright.

For a closer look at December's conditions in the Cook Islands, see the map below. For a more detailed look at the Cook Islands's yearly weather, check out our the Cook Islands climate page.

Where to go in the Cook Islands in December

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the the Cook Islands on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailes.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in December for the 5 most popular destinations in the Cook Islands?

Rarotonga

In December Rarotonga generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 25°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Rarotonga
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
26°C 
24°C 
175 hours 
113 mm 
12 days 
27°C 
25°C 
173 hours 
200 mm 
13 days 
January   >> January
>>  
28°C 
25°C 
167 hours 
225 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Rarotonga

Arutanga

In December Arutanga generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 28°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 25°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Arutanga
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
28°C 
25°C 
163 hours 
129 mm 
13 days 
28°C 
25°C 
172 hours 
223 mm 
13 days 
January   >> January
>>  
29°C 
26°C 
186 hours 
268 mm 
13 days 
poor 
Climate in Arutanga

Arorangi

In December Arorangi generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 25°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Arorangi
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
26°C 
24°C 
175 hours 
113 mm 
12 days 
27°C 
25°C 
173 hours 
200 mm 
13 days 
January   >> January
>>  
28°C 
25°C 
167 hours 
225 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Arorangi

Avarua

In December Avarua generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 25°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Avarua
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
26°C 
24°C 
175 hours 
114 mm 
12 days 
27°C 
25°C 
173 hours 
200 mm 
13 days 
January   >> January
>>  
28°C 
25°C 
167 hours 
225 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Avarua

Muri

In December Muri generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 24°C and heavy monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Muri
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
26°C 
24°C 
175 hours 
114 mm 
12 days 
27°C 
24°C 
173 hours 
199 mm 
13 days 
January   >> January
>>  
28°C 
25°C 
167 hours 
225 mm 
13 days 
Climate in Muri

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in the Cook Islands.

Is December the best time to visit the Cook Islands?

In our opinion, December may not be the ideal time to visit the Cook Islands due to the typically unpleasant weather in Rarotonga.

On average, the best time to visit the Cook Islands is in June, August, September and October with generally perfect weather in Rarotonga. On the other hand, the months of January, February and December tend to have unpleasant weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in the Cook Islands. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
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  • October      
  • November      
  • December      
  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to the Cook Islands? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in the Cook Islands.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.