What to Wear in Singapore in December
Singapore in December: 30°C / 86°F afternoons, 24°C / 75°F nights, 19 rain days and 332mm, the wettest month, with Northeast Monsoon surges.
- Bright teal packable hooded rain shell — a hood stays up in 25–35 km/h surge winds that flip an umbrella
- Sea-green quick-dry crew tee — you sweat inside a shell at 30°C / 86°F, and it dries once you are indoors
- White rubber clogs — a flooded kerb costs a rinse under the tap, not a pair of shoes
- White tailored cotton shorts — bare legs dry in minutes, while a trouser hem wicks rain to the knee
- Pale blue waterproof phone pouch — read the bus arrival in the rain without taking the phone out
- Cream thin V-neck cardigan — the Flower Dome is kept at 23–25°C for the Christmas Train Show
- A compact umbrella as your only cover — MSS says surge winds at times reach 25–35 km/h
- Canvas or suede shoes — continuous rain leaves them wet for days
- An open tote — a surge fills it before you reach the MRT
- Planning around a single 3pm storm — December rain arrives in surges that last the afternoon
Pack for rain that lasts and comes in sideways. MSS figures for Changi Climate Station make December the wettest month, 331.9mm over 19 days, yet it has fewer thunderstorm days than November, 14 against 19. The difference is the Northeast Monsoon, which MSS dates from December to early March. Its surges bring what MSS calls "widespread continuous moderate to heavy rain", with winds at times of 25–35 km/h, usually from December into early January. A compact umbrella turns inside out in that, and canvas shoes stay wet for days. A hood, rubber soles and a sealed phone pouch do not. Schools are out all month, the marathon runs 4 to 6 December, and the Flower Dome, kept at 23–25°C, is the one cold room you plan for.
November's rain keeps an appointment at three. December's comes in sideways, stays all afternoon and takes the umbrella with it. Put the hood up and let your feet get wet in rubber.
The capsule
01Bright teal packable hooded rain shellPut the hood up and leave the umbrella at the hotel. MSS says monsoon surges bring continuous rain with winds at times reaching 25–35 km/h, usually from December into early January, and a hood stays on in wind that flips a compact canopy. Packed, the shell rolls into the crossbody when the rain eases, and bright teal keeps you visible to drivers on a grey afternoon.
02Sea-green quick-dry crew teeContinuous rain at 30°C / 86°F means you sweat inside the shell almost as fast as it keeps the rain out. A sea-green quick-dry crew tee moves that damp off your skin, and by the time you have crossed a Marina Bay mall concourse it is dry again. Cotton stays dark and clinging until dinner.
03Navy knee-length cotton-modal dress, short sleeves, tie waistFor Christmas Day, a Friday and a public holiday this year, and the dinners around it. Navy cotton-modal hides rain marks when you shrug the shell off at a restaurant door, the knee-length hem stays clear of a wet pavement, and the tie waist gives it shape without a belt. With the cream cardigan it is also the Flower Dome outfit.
04White tailored cotton shorts, mid-thighA trouser hem is the first thing a monsoon surge soaks, and it wicks water up to the knee and stays wet all afternoon. Mid-thigh shorts leave bare legs that dry in minutes, and a tailored white cut still looks dressed at a Tiong Bahru hawker table. For anywhere that asks for covered knees, switch to the navy dress.
05White rubber clogsCanvas soaked on Monday is still damp on Wednesday in a month with 19 rain days. White rubber clogs take a flooded kerb, a bus stop puddle and an afternoon of standing water, then rinse off under a tap. They slip on and off in a second, and they are the one pair here you never have to dry.
06Cream thin V-neck cardiganPack it for one room: the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, kept at 23–25°C, where the Christmas Train Show runs from 9am to 9pm through December. After a wet walk from the MRT, that temperature reads cold. A thin cream V-neck cardigan is enough for it and for the air-con on the train back, and it goes over the navy dress or the sea-green tee.
07Black structured flap crossbodyA flap that closes over the top keeps a surge out of the opening, where an open tote fills like a bucket. Worn across the body, a black structured crossbody stays in front of you among the spectators on marathon weekend, 4 to 6 December, and in a Christmas Eve mall. Black hides the water spots that a pale bag shows for the rest of the trip.
08Pale blue waterproof phone pouch on a lanyardYour phone is what a monsoon surge actually ruins. A pale blue waterproof pouch on a lanyard hangs under the hood, where you can read a map or a bus arrival through the plastic without opening it in continuous rain. It also holds a card and the room key, so the crossbody stays shut from the hotel to the MRT.
Day to night
Teal shell zipped, hood up · sea-green quick-dry tee · white tailored shorts · white rubber clogs · black crossbody · phone pouch on its lanyard. A hawker breakfast in Tiong Bahru at eight, then Chinatown's covered walkways while the surge blows through.
Navy knee-length dress · cream cardigan · white rubber clogs · black crossbody · teal shell folded inside. The Christmas Train Show in the Flower Dome before its 9pm close, then dinner at Marina Bay with the hood ready for the walk back.
A suggested look — teal hooded rain shell, sea-green quick-dry tee, white tailored shorts, white rubber clogs.
What to avoid
- A compact umbrella as your only cover — surge winds at times reach 25–35 km/h
- Canvas or suede shoes — continuous rain leaves them wet for days
- Full-length trousers on a surge day — the hem soaks to the knee
- Planning around one 3pm storm — December rain lasts the afternoon
- Leaving the cardigan at the hotel — the Flower Dome is kept at 23–25°C
Frequently asked questions
On Meteorological Service Singapore figures for Changi Climate Station, December averages a daily high of 30.5°C and a low of 24.3°C, with 331.9mm of rain over 19 rain days, the most rain of any month. It has 14 thunderstorm days and 16 lightning days, fewer than November, and a mean wind of 1.9 m/s. MSS writes that "December and January are the coolest (24-hour mean of 26.8ºC)", and it dates the "Northeast Monsoon Season (December-early March)" from this month. Sunset moves from about 6:55pm to just after 7pm.
A bright teal packable hooded rain shell, a sea-green quick-dry crew tee, a navy knee-length cotton-modal dress, white tailored cotton shorts, white rubber clogs, a cream thin V-neck cardigan, a black structured flap crossbody and a pale blue waterproof phone pouch on a lanyard. Between them they handle a 30°C / 86°F street, an afternoon of wind-driven rain, a Christmas dinner and the Flower Dome at 23–25°C. Leave behind the compact umbrella, the canvas sneakers and full-length linen; December's rain lasts too long for all three.
A surge is the Northeast Monsoon's long rain. MSS writes that "Monsoon Surges cause widespread continuous moderate to heavy rain, at times with 25-35 km/h winds in the first half of the season, usually from December to early January." It is not a single afternoon thunderstorm: the rain covers the island and keeps going. Wear a hooded shell zipped to the chest, because the wind turns an umbrella inside out. Wear rubber clogs rather than canvas, shorts or a knee-length dress rather than long hems, and keep the phone in a waterproof pouch.
The weather does not pick a side: MSS puts monsoon surges from December to early January, so pack the shell either way. Events decide it. Early December is marathon weekend, with the Singapore International Marathon on 4 to 6 December; start times are not yet published, so check before you plan a morning run. Late December brings Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, a public holiday; Boxing Day is not one. Schools are out all month, and the Christmas Train Show runs in the Flower Dome, 9am to 9pm, until 3 January.
Cooler by a degree, wetter and windier. On the same MSS table, our November guide gives 31°C / 88°F and 25°C / 77°F with 252.3mm and 19 thunderstorm days; December gives 30°C / 86°F and 24°C / 75°F with 331.9mm but only 14 thunderstorm days. The change is in the shape of the rain. November's storms land in the afternoon and early evening in the year's calmest air, and a compact umbrella handles them. December's surges bring long rain, and mean wind rises to 1.9 m/s, so a hooded shell replaces the umbrella.
Rain gear worn as clothing: a bright shell, rubber underfoot, a bag that closes and one layer for the air-con. Two local labels fill in the rest. Beyond The Vines, founded in Singapore in 2015 by husband-and-wife Daniel Chew and Rebecca Ting, is best known for the Dumpling Bag. PEDRO, the footwear brand the Charles & Keith group unveiled in 2006, is where to look for a leather shoe to change into at a Christmas dinner. On a surge afternoon, change back: rubber and a hood beat leather and an umbrella.
Sources
- Meteorological Service Singapore (NEA) — 1991–2020 climate normals, Changi Climate Station station
- Meteorological Service Singapore — Climate of Singapore — accessed 2026-09-26
- Ministry of Manpower Singapore — Public holidays 2026 (Deepavali 8 November, Christmas 25 December) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Ministry of Education Singapore — School terms and holidays for 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- Singapore International Marathon — 4–6 December 2026 — accessed 2026-09-26
- Gardens by the Bay — Christmas Train Show, Flower Dome, 20 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 — accessed 2026-09-26
- Gardens by the Bay — Flower Dome (kept at 23–25°C) — accessed 2026-09-26
- Beyond The Vines — Ten years of Beyond The Vines (founded Singapore, 2015) — accessed 2026-09-26
- CHARLES & KEITH Group — Our milestones (PEDRO, 2006) — accessed 2026-09-26
