South Africa weather in December

Planning a journey to South Africa 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 South Africa in December?

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

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

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. The days are mostly sunny, with an average total of around 334 hours of sunshine in Cape Town. The sunlight during this month doesn't just make the days brighter, it also seems to make everyone a bit more cheerful.

To learn more about the conditions in specific areas of South Africa in December, check out the map below. For more details on the yearly weather, visit our South Africa climate page.

Where to go in South Africa in December

Find the average weather conditions in December for the most popular destinations in South Africa on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailed information.

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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 in South Africa

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

Average weather in 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
22°C 
15°C 
310 hours 
37 mm 
5 days 
24°C 
16°C 
334 hours 
22 mm 
6 days 
January   >> January
>>  
25°C 
18°C 
338 hours 
20 mm 
5 days 
Climate in Cape Town

Average weather in 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
27°C 
14°C 
249 hours 
103 mm 
13 days 
27°C 
16°C 
264 hours 
140 mm 
14 days 
January   >> January
>>  
27°C 
16°C 
250 hours 
133 mm 
14 days 
Climate in Johannesburg

Average weather in 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
25°C 
19°C 
168 hours 
102 mm 
16 days 
27°C 
21°C 
190 hours 
98 mm 
15 days 
January   >> January
>>  
28°C 
22°C 
183 hours 
95 mm 
14 days 
Climate in Durban

Average weather in 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
21°C 
15°C 
320 hours 
72 mm 
11 days 
23°C 
17°C 
345 hours 
51 mm 
11 days 
January   >> January
>>  
24°C 
18°C 
320 hours 
52 mm 
10 days 
Climate in Knysna

Average weather in 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
24°C 
13°C 
310 hours 
46 mm 
5 days 
26°C 
15°C 
334 hours 
28 mm 
6 days 
January   >> January
>>  
28°C 
17°C 
338 hours 
25 mm 
5 days 
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. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
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  • November      
  • December      
  • 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 climate conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.