Mafeteng weather in December

In December, Mafeteng sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 118 mm of rain across 13.2 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mafeteng's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mafeteng's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
118 mm
13.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
5:10 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
43%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Mafeteng 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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mafeteng reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12713
22713
32713
42713
52713
62713
72713
82713
92713
102713
112713
122714
132714
142714
152714
162814
172814
182814
192814
202814
212814
222814
232814
242814
252814
262814
272815
282815
292815
302815
312815

How December really feels in Mafeteng

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.

Mafeteng weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 15°12414.813.75.8
Feb27° / 14°1111313.16.1
Mar25° / 12°10112.512.26.8
Apr22° / 658.611.37.2
May19° / 264.210.57.4
Jun16° / 172.810.16.4
Jul16° / -0°122.310.36.6
Aug19° / 233.610.97.6
Sep23° / 223.811.88.3
Oct25° / 10°738.712.77.5
Nov26° / 12°9810.413.56.9
Dec27° / 14°11813.213.96.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27030
37030
47129
57129
67129
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127228
137327
147327
157327
167327
177426
187426
197426
207426
217426
227426
237426
247525
257525
267624
277624
287525
297624
307624
317624

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mafeteng gets around 118 mm of rain over 13.2 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 42% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
242
342
443
543
644
744
844
943
1043
1143
1243
1343
1443
1542
1642
1742
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2342
2442
2542
2643
2743
2843
2943
3043
3143

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 76% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187121
287121
386131
486131
585141
684151
783161
883161
982171
1081181
1181181
1280191
1379201
1479201
1578211
1677221
1776231
1874242
1973252
2073252
2172262
2270273
2369283
2468293
2567303
2665314
2764324
2864324
2963334
3062335
3161345

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 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 5:07 AM to 5:17 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:076:54
213.85:076:55
313.85:076:56
413.85:086:56
513.85:086:57
613.85:086:58
713.85:086:59
813.95:086:59
913.95:087:00
1013.95:087:01
1113.95:097:01
1213.95:097:02
1313.95:097:03
1413.95:097:03
1513.95:107:04
1613.95:107:04
1713.95:107:05
1813.95:117:06
1913.95:117:06
2013.95:127:07
2113.95:127:07
2213.95:127:08
2313.95:137:08
2413.95:137:08
2513.95:147:09
2613.95:147:09
2713.95:157:10
2813.95:167:10
2913.95:167:10
3013.95:177:11
3113.95:177:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.67 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.51 kWh/m² to a high of 7.67 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.67 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.6Intense
27.6Intense
37.6Intense
47.6Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.7Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.7Intense
197.7Intense
207.7Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
317.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mafeteng

In seasonPeak

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

Mafeteng's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Mafeteng?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mafeteng for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mafeteng in December

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

In December, Mafeteng sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Mafeteng 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 Mafeteng peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 15Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Mafeteng 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 Mafeteng is worst in June — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2218 µg/m³Dec 216 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr13Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mafeteng?

Mafeteng sits at 29.8°S, 27.2°E, 1,669 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Mohale's Hoek, 43 km away.

Mohale's HoekZastronMaseruMaboteLadybrandQuthing

Topography around Mafeteng

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mafeteng has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 369 m around an average of 1,658 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 748 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,754 m.

The land around Mafeteng is covered by cropland (37%), grassland (30%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and cropland (41%) within 16 km, and grassland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
369 m
16 km
748 m
80 km
1,754 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Mohale's Hoek 43 km · Zastron 55 km · Maseru 61 km · Mabote 67 km · Ladybrand 73 km · Quthing 78 km · Thaba Nchu 78 km · Botshabelo 79 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 Mafeteng (-29.823°, 27.2374°, elevation 1,669 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).