Lobamba weather in December

In December, Lobamba sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 172 mm of rain across 18.8 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lobamba's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lobamba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
172 mm
18.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:02 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
68%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Lobamba is city in Eswatini.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Lobamba reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52516
62616
72616
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142617
152617
162617
172617
182617
192617
202617
212617
222618
232618
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Lobamba weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 18°17418.113.55.4
Feb26° / 18°14514.712.95.7
Mar26° / 17°13214.312.26.3
Apr24° / 14°639.411.47.3
May23° / 11°274.810.78.3
Jun21° / 152.910.48.4
Jul21° / 173.410.58.2
Aug23° / 10°285.211.18.2
Sep24° / 12°518.311.87.6
Oct24° / 14°9614.112.66.4
Nov25° / 16°15317.113.35.6
Dec26° / 17°17218.813.65.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43466
53367
63466
73466
83466
93466
103466
113466
123565
133565
143664
153763
163763
173862
183862
193961
203961
213961
224060
234060
244060
254060
264060
274060
284258
294258
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lobamba gets around 172 mm of rain over 18.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 61% and peaks near 63% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
160
260
361
461
561
662
762
862
963
1063
1163
1263
1362
1462
1562
1661
1761
1861
1960
2060
2160
2260
2360
2460
2560
2660
2759
2859
2959
3058
3158

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
192547190
282449190
372350200
472350200
562252200
652253200
752153210
842054220
942054220
1031955230
1131954240
1231854250
1321854260
1421754270
1521654280
1621651301
1721551311
1821450331
1911351341
2011349361
2111248381
2211147391
2311146411
2411145421
2511044431
2611044441
2711043451
2811042451
2911042461
3011141461
3111141461

Wind in December

Winds average 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 4:59 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.54:596:31
213.64:596:32
313.64:596:33
413.64:596:33
513.64:596:34
613.64:596:35
713.64:596:35
813.65:006:36
913.65:006:37
1013.65:006:37
1113.65:006:38
1213.65:016:39
1313.65:016:39
1413.65:016:40
1513.65:016:40
1613.75:026:41
1713.75:026:41
1813.75:036:42
1913.75:036:43
2013.75:036:43
2113.75:046:44
2213.75:046:44
2313.75:056:44
2413.75:056:45
2513.75:066:45
2613.75:066:46
2713.75:076:46
2813.75:076:47
2913.65:086:47
3013.65:096:47
3113.65:096:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 5.77 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Lobamba

In seasonPeak

In December, Lobamba sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Lobamba's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Lobamba?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Lobamba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Lobamba in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Lobamba sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Lobamba in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lobamba peaks around December 18 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 5 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 18UV 13Jul 10UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lobamba in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Lobamba is worst in July — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1942 µg/m³Jan 1611 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug40Poor
Sep32Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Lobamba?

Lobamba sits at 26.5°S, 31.2°E, 694 m above sea level, in Eswatini. The nearest listed city is Mbabane, 18 km away.

MbabaneManziniFernieRedhillEmpuluzuLukwatiniNhlazatjePiet Retief

Topography around Lobamba

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Lobamba.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lobamba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 386 m around an average of 711 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 952 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,772 m.

The land around Lobamba is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and trees (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
386 m
16 km
952 m
80 km
1,772 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Mbabane 18 km · Manzini 18 km · Fernie 42 km · Redhill 44 km · Empuluzu 46 km · Lukwatini 59 km · Nhlazatje 62 km · Piet Retief 71 km

Eswatini travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 33% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,108
2025
Happiness
3.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
38%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
12.5
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
33.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 90%other 8%Muslim 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Lobamba (-26.4667°, 31.2°, elevation 694 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).