South AfricaCountries South Africa December
South AfricaCountries South Africa
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Weather in December
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Weather in December in South Africa

Planning a trip to South Africa this December? Here's what you need to know about the weather:

What is the weather like in South Africa in December?

The weather in South Africa in December can be quite varied, with temperatures that range from pleasant to very hot and precipitation levels ranging from almost none to heavy.

Temperatures

During the day temperatures vary from pleasant in Paternoster at 20°C to very hot in Keimoes at 36°C. At night it cools down to 20°C in Keimoes and 17°C in Paternoster.

To learn more about the conditions in specific areas of South Africa, check out the map below.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From almost no rainfall in Kotzeshoop with an average of 3.3 mm to heavy rainfall in Bonjaneni with 344 mm.

Average sunshine

Meanwhile, Cape Town enjoys approximately 334 hours of sunshine, offering a mostly sunny climate that adds a pleasant and vibrant feel to the month.

For a more detailed look at South Africa's conditions throughout the year, check out our South Africa climate page.

Where to go in South Africa in December

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the South Africa on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more details.

Weather conditions Weather
Temperatures
Precipitation
Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
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).

Select a Month of Interest

Check the conditions for any month of the year.

For a detailed overview over the year and the best time to visit South Africa, check out our South Africa's climate page.

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in December for the 5 most popular destinations in South Africa?

Cape Town

In December Cape Town generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 24°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 16°C and low monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Cape Town
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
<<   November November
<<  
22°C 
15°C 
310 hours 
37 mm 
5 days 
perfect 
December December
24°C 
16°C 
334 hours 
22 mm 
6 days 
perfect 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
21°C 
14°C 
3,094 hours 
686 mm 
99 days 
poor 
Climate in Cape Town

Johannesburg

In December Johannesburg generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 16°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are pleasant that month.

Johannesburg
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
<<   November November
<<  
27°C 
14°C 
249 hours 
103 mm 
13 days 
pleasant 
December December
27°C 
16°C 
264 hours 
140 mm 
14 days 
pleasant 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
24°C 
11°C 
3,126 hours 
779 mm 
90 days 
poor 
Climate in Johannesburg

Durban

In December Durban generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 21°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Durban
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
<<   November November
<<  
25°C 
19°C 
168 hours 
102 mm 
16 days 
pleasant 
December December
27°C 
21°C 
190 hours 
98 mm 
15 days 
perfect 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
25°C 
18°C 
2,365 hours 
915 mm 
122 days 
poor 
Climate in Durban

Knysna

In December Knysna generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 23°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 17°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Knysna
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
<<   November November
<<  
21°C 
15°C 
320 hours 
72 mm 
11 days 
perfect 
December December
23°C 
17°C 
345 hours 
51 mm 
11 days 
perfect 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
21°C 
14°C 
3,383 hours 
673 mm 
120 days 
poor 
Climate in Knysna

Stellenbosch

In December Stellenbosch generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 26°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 15°C and low monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Stellenbosch
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
<<   November November
<<  
24°C 
13°C 
310 hours 
46 mm 
5 days 
perfect 
December December
26°C 
15°C 
334 hours 
28 mm 
6 days 
perfect 
Annual   >> Annual
>>  
22°C 
12°C 
3,094 hours 
790 mm 
100 days 
poor 
Climate in Stellenbosch

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in South Africa.

Is December the best time to visit South Africa?

We believe that December is one of the best times to visit South Africa with overall perfect weather in Cape Town.

Generally speaking, January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December provide perfect weather in Cape Town. On the other hand, the weather in July tends to be unpleasant.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in South Africa.

Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to South Africa? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in South Africa.

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.