Butha-Buthe weather in December

In December, Butha-Buthe sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 140 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Butha-Buthe's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butha-Buthe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
12°
10th coldest
Rainfall
140 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:08 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
50%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Butha-Buthe is city in Lesotho.

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Butha-Buthe reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12311
22311
32311
42311
52311
62311
72311
82311
92311
102311
112312
122412
132412
142412
152412
162412
172412
182412
192412
202412
212412
222412
232412
242412
252412
262412
272412
282412
292413
302413
312413

How December really feels in Butha-Buthe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Butha-Buthe weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 13°13918.1013.65.9
Feb24° / 12°10414.80136.2
Mar22° / 11°9613.7012.26.5
Apr20° / 628.60.111.36.8
May17° / 294.10.210.66.9
Jun15° / -1°162.50.510.25.7
Jul14° / -1°101.90.610.45.7
Aug17° / 273.80.4116.9
Sep20° / 284.70.211.87.7
Oct22° / 9410.9012.76.9
Nov23° / 10°12613.6013.46.4
Dec24° / 12°14017.2013.86.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 41% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36238
46238
56238
66238
76238
86238
96238
106337
116337
126436
136436
146535
156634
166634
176634
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266733
276733
286733
296832
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Butha-Buthe gets around 140 mm of rain over 17.2 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 55% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
253
354
455
555
656
756
856
956
1056
1155
1255
1355
1454
1554
1654
1753
1853
1953
2053
2153
2254
2354
2455
2556
2657
2757
2858
2958
3059
3159

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1964
2964
3955
4955
5955
6946
7946
8937
9937
10937
11937
12928
13928
14919
15919
169010
179010
188911
198812
208713
218614
228515
238416
248317
258218
268119
278020
288020
297921
307822
317723

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 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 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 5:06 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:066:48
213.75:066:49
313.75:066:49
413.75:066:50
513.75:066:51
613.85:066:51
713.85:066:52
813.85:066:53
913.85:066:54
1013.85:076:54
1113.85:076:55
1213.85:076:55
1313.85:076:56
1413.85:086:57
1513.85:086:57
1613.85:086:58
1713.85:096:58
1813.85:096:59
1913.85:107:00
2013.85:107:00
2113.85:107:01
2213.85:117:01
2313.85:117:02
2413.85:127:02
2513.85:127:02
2613.85:137:03
2713.85:137:03
2813.85:147:04
2913.85:157:04
3013.85:157:04
3113.85:167:04

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.3 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.72 kWh/m² to a high of 7.3 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.3 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.3Intense
87.3Intense
97.3Intense
107.3Intense
117.3Intense
127.3Intense
137.3Intense
147.3Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.3Intense
207.3Intense
217.3Intense
227.3Intense
237.3Intense
247.3Intense
257.3Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Butha-Buthe

In seasonPeak

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

Butha-Buthe'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 Butha-Buthe?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Butha-Buthe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Butha-Buthe in December

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

In December, Butha-Buthe sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Butha-Buthe in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Butha-Buthe peaks around January 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 16Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Butha-Buthe 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 Butha-Buthe is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1227 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Butha-Buthe?

Butha-Buthe sits at 28.8°S, 28.2°E, 1,716 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Fouriesburg, 17 km away.

FouriesburgHlotseMaputsoeFicksburgPhuthaditjhabaTeyateyanengHlohlolwane

Topography around Butha-Buthe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Butha-Buthe has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 m around an average of 1,719 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,072 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,144 m.

The land around Butha-Buthe is covered by grassland (39%) and cropland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
305 m
16 km
1,072 m
80 km
2,144 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Fouriesburg 17 km · Hlotse 23 km · Maputsoe 37 km · Ficksburg 38 km · Bethlehem 60 km · Phuthaditjhaba 61 km · Teyateyaneng 65 km · Hlohlolwane 68 km

Lesotho travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,089
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
38.2
per 100k, 2008
Road deaths
31.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 48%Roman Catholic 39%other Christian 9%none 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 Butha-Buthe (-28.7666°, 28.2494°, elevation 1,716 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).