Alice weather in December

In December, Alice sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 93 mm of rain across 11.9 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of December to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Alice's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alice's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
9th coldest
Rainfall
93 mm
11.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:04 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
55%
11th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Alice is town in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,842/km²
people per km²
Founded
1824

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical December day in Alice reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°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 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12513
22513
32514
42514
52514
62614
72614
82614
92614
102614
112614
122614
132614
142614
152614
162615
172615
182615
192715
202715
212715
222715
232715
242715
252715
262715
272715
282715
292715
302715
312715

Alice 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
Jan27° / 16°9911.913.96.3
Feb27° / 16°9311.413.26.2
Mar26° / 15°8411.312.26.7
Apr24° / 12°628.211.27.4
May22° / 10°244.710.37.9
Jun20° / 264.29.97.7
Jul20° / 284.410.17.7
Aug21° / 416.410.87.4
Sep23° / 487.511.87.3
Oct23° / 11°7110.512.87.0
Nov25° / 13°8411.313.76.7
Dec26° / 15°9311.914.16.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45248
55248
65248
75248
85248
95347
105347
115347
125446
135446
145446
155446
165545
175644
185545
195644
205644
215644
225644
235644
245644
255644
265644
275743
285743
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Alice gets around 93 mm of rain over 11.9 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
537
637
737
837
938
1038
1138
1238
1339
1439
1540
1640
1741
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2440
2540
2639
2739
2838
2938
3038
3137

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 39% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15335120
25235130
35036140
44837150
54637160
64538170
74438180
84338190
94239190
104139200
114039201
123939211
133839211
143839221
153739222
163640232
173540232
183540232
193440233
203340243
213240243
223141254
232941264
242841264
252741275
262641285
272541295
282441296
292341306
302241317
312141317

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 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
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 14 hours at the start of December to 14 h 06 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 5:02 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 7:03 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:027:03
214.05:027:03
314.05:027:04
414.05:027:05
514.15:027:06
614.15:027:06
714.15:027:07
814.15:037:08
914.15:037:09
1014.15:037:09
1114.15:037:10
1214.15:037:11
1314.15:037:11
1414.15:047:12
1514.15:047:13
1614.15:047:13
1714.25:057:14
1814.25:057:14
1914.25:057:15
2014.25:067:16
2114.25:067:16
2214.25:077:17
2314.25:077:17
2414.25:087:17
2514.25:087:18
2614.25:097:18
2714.25:097:19
2814.15:107:19
2914.15:117:19
3014.15:117:20
3114.15:127:20

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.56 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.56 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Alice?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Alice in December

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

In December, Alice sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Alice in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alice peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Alice 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 Alice is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1618 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Alice?

Alice sits at 32.8°S, 26.8°E, 522 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Fort Beaufort, 19 km away.

Topography around Alice

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alice has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m around an average of 567 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 m.

The land around Alice is covered by grassland (45%) and shrubs (26%) within 3 km, grassland (49%), shrubs (30%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
223 m
16 km
1,165 m
80 km
2,356 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Fort Beaufort 19 km · Dimbaza 36 km · Qonce 53 km · Bhisho 57 km · Stutterheim 60 km · Grahamstown 64 km · Ndevana 64 km · Whittlesea 68 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%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 Alice (-32.7875°, 26.8344°, elevation 522 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).