Hlotse weather in December

In December, Hlotse sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 160 mm of rain across 16.6 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-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 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 Hlotse's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hlotse's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
160 mm
16.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:09 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
50%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.34 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.0
out of 10

Hlotse is city.

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 Hlotse reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12512
22512
32512
42512
52512
62512
72512
82513
92513
102513
112513
122513
132513
142613
152613
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222613
232613
242614
252614
262614
272614
282614
292614
302614
312614

How December really feels in Hlotse

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.

Hlotse weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°15216.613.65.9
Feb25° / 14°11213.6136.2
Mar24° / 12°11113.312.26.7
Apr21° / 708.811.37.0
May19° / 334.210.67.4
Jun16° / -0°172.410.26.5
Jul16° / -1°91.710.36.6
Aug19° / 253.7117.6
Sep22° / 274.211.88.2
Oct24° / 10010.712.77.2
Nov25° / 11°13812.813.46.6
Dec26° / 13°16016.613.86.0

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 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26139
36139
46139
56139
66139
76139
86139
96238
106337
116337
126337
136436
146535
156535
166634
176535
186634
196634
206634
216634
226634
236733
246634
256634
266634
276634
286832
296832
306832
316931

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Hlotse gets around 160 mm of rain over 16.6 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 53% and peaks near 56% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
251
351
452
553
653
753
853
953
1053
1153
1253
1352
1452
1552
1652
1752
1852
1952
2052
2152
2253
2353
2454
2555
2655
2756
2856
2956
3056
3156

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 65% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
179201
279201
378211
477221
577230
676240
775250
874260
973270
1073270
1171281
1270291
1369301
1468311
1567321
1666331
1765341
1865341
1963352
2062362
2161372
2260382
2358393
2456413
2555423
2653434
2751454
2850464
2949474
3048485
3147485

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 6:49 PM to 7:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:066:49
213.75:066:50
313.75:066:50
413.75:066:51
513.85:066:52
613.85:076:53
713.85:076:53
813.85:076:54
913.85:076:55
1013.85:076:55
1113.85:086:56
1213.85:086:57
1313.85:086:57
1413.85:086:58
1513.85:096:58
1613.85:096:59
1713.85:097:00
1813.85:107:00
1913.85:107:01
2013.85:117:01
2113.85:117:02
2213.85:117:02
2313.85:127:03
2413.85:127:03
2513.85:137:03
2613.85:137:04
2713.85:147:04
2813.85:157:05
2913.85:157:05
3013.85:167:05
3113.85:167:06

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.34 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 7.34 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.34 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
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.4Intense
167.4Intense
177.4Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.4Intense
227.4Intense
237.4Intense
247.4Intense
257.4Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
317.3Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Hlotse

In seasonPeak

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

Hlotse'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 Hlotse?

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

6.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Hlotse for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hlotse in December

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

In December, Hlotse sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Hlotse in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hlotse peaks around January 14 at about 15 (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 15Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Hlotse 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 Hlotse is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1222 µg/m³Dec 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hlotse?

Hlotse sits at 28.9°S, 28.0°E, 1,645 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Maputsoe, 14 km away.

MaputsoeFicksburgButha-ButheFouriesburgTeyateyanengHlohlolwaneMarquardLadybrand

Topography around Hlotse

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hlotse has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 253 m around an average of 1,599 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 647 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,939 m.

The land around Hlotse is covered by cropland (37%) and grassland (36%) within 3 km, cropland (45%) and grassland (44%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
253 m
16 km
647 m
80 km
1,939 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Maputsoe 14 km · Ficksburg 17 km · Butha-Buthe 23 km · Fouriesburg 32 km · Teyateyaneng 42 km · Hlohlolwane 47 km · Marquard 64 km · Ladybrand 67 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 Hlotse (-28.8718°, 28.045°, elevation 1,645 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).