Mbabane weather in December

In December, Mbabane sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 208 mm of rain across 19.9 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 Mbabane's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbabane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
208 mm
19.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:02 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
69%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Mbabane is capital of Eswatini.

Density
508/km²
people per km²
Founded
1902

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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mbabane reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 30°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)
12515
22515
32516
42516
52516
62516
72516
82516
92516
102516
112516
122516
132516
142516
152516
162516
172516
182517
192517
202617
212617
222617
232617
242617
252617
262617
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Mbabane 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° / 17°21719.713.55.3
Feb25° / 17°17616.612.95.5
Mar25° / 16°15916.812.26.0
Apr23° / 14°7811.311.46.9
May22° / 11°325.510.78.0
Jun20° / 183.510.48.1
Jul20° / 183.910.57.9
Aug22° / 10°325.511.17.9
Sep23° / 12°57911.87.4
Oct24° / 13°11215.712.66.1
Nov24° / 15°17118.613.35.4
Dec25° / 16°20819.913.65.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23268
33268
43268
53268
63367
73268
83367
93367
103367
113367
123466
133466
143466
153565
163565
173763
183763
193763
203862
213862
223763
233763
243862
253862
263961
273961
284060
294060
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mbabane gets around 208 mm of rain over 19.9 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 64% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
264
364
464
565
665
765
866
966
1066
1166
1266
1366
1466
1565
1665
1765
1864
1964
2064
2164
2264
2364
2463
2563
2663
2763
2863
2962
3062
3162

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 23% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
111314711
210304811
39304912
49295012
58295112
67285213
77285213
86285214
95275414
105265415
115265316
124255417
134245418
144245319
153235420
163225421
173215323
183205324
193195226
202185327
212175229
222165230
232165032
242155033
252144934
262144935
272144836
282134836
292134837
302134837
312134837

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:10 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.54:596:31
213.54:596:32
313.64:596:33
413.65:006:33
513.65:006:34
613.65:006:35
713.65:006:35
813.65:006:36
913.65:006:37
1013.65:016:37
1113.65:016:38
1213.65:016:39
1313.65:016:39
1413.65:026:40
1513.65:026:40
1613.65:026:41
1713.65:036:41
1813.65:036:42
1913.65:046:42
2013.65:046:43
2113.75:046:43
2213.75:056:44
2313.75:056:44
2413.65:066:45
2513.65:066:45
2613.65:076:46
2713.65:076:46
2813.65:086:46
2913.65:096:47
3013.65:096:47
3113.65:106:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.63 kWh/m² to a high of 5.79 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.76 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.9Bright
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 Mbabane

In seasonPeak

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

Mbabane's monsoon runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is December a good time to visit Mbabane?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mbabane for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbabane in December

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

In December, Mbabane sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane 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 Mbabane?

Mbabane sits at 26.3°S, 31.1°E, 1,209 m above sea level, in Eswatini. The nearest listed city is Lobamba, 18 km away.

LobambaRedhillManziniFernieEmpuluzuLukwatiniNhlazatjeBarberton

Topography around Mbabane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbabane has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 462 m around an average of 1,241 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,718 m.

The land around Mbabane is covered by trees (47%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
462 m
16 km
991 m
80 km
1,718 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Lobamba 18 km · Redhill 31 km · Manzini 32 km · Fernie 35 km · Empuluzu 36 km · Lukwatini 42 km · Nhlazatje 46 km · Barberton 59 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 Mbabane (-26.3167°, 31.1333°, elevation 1,209 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).