Ashton weather in December

In December, Ashton sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 25 mm of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ashton's 4th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
25 mm
4.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:29 AM – 7:43 PM
Cloud cover
36%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
7.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Ashton is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
679/km²
people per km²

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 27°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ashton reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12613
22713
32713
42713
52713
62714
72714
82714
92714
102714
112714
122714
132714
142814
152814
162814
172814
182814
192814
202815
212815
222815
232815
242815
252815
262815
272815
282815
292815
302815
312815

Ashton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 15°265146.8
Feb29° / 16°244.513.36.8
Mar27° / 14°34612.37.5
Apr24° / 11°325.511.27.9
May21° / 28510.37.4
Jun17° / 336.69.86.3
Jul17° / 356106.1
Aug18° / 346.510.76.5
Sep20° / 235.611.87.2
Oct23° / 10°375.612.97.8
Nov25° / 12°385.513.87.9
Dec28° / 14°254.914.27.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37327
47228
57228
67228
77228
87129
97129
107129
117228
127228
137228
147327
157327
167327
177327
187327
197426
207426
217426
227426
237525
247525
257624
267723
277723
287723
297723
307822
317723

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ashton gets around 25 mm of rain over 4.9 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 16% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
415
515
615
715
815
915
1015
1115
1215
1315
1415
1516
1616
1716
1816
1916
2016
2117
2217
2317
2417
2517
2617
2717
2817
2917
3017
3118

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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
188120
287130
386140
486140
584151
683161
783161
882171
982171
1080182
1180182
1280182
1380182
1478193
1578193
1678193
1776204
1876204
1975214
2075214
2174224
2274224
2373234
2472235
2571245
2671245
2770255
2870255
2968266
3068266
3168266

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 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 5:27 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 7:32 PM to 7:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:277:32
214.15:277:33
314.15:277:34
414.15:277:35
514.15:277:35
614.25:277:36
714.25:277:37
814.25:277:38
914.25:277:38
1014.25:277:39
1114.25:277:40
1214.25:287:41
1314.25:287:41
1414.25:287:42
1514.25:287:42
1614.25:297:43
1714.25:297:44
1814.25:297:44
1914.25:307:45
2014.35:307:45
2114.35:317:46
2214.35:317:46
2314.35:327:47
2414.35:327:47
2514.25:337:48
2614.25:337:48
2714.25:347:48
2814.25:347:49
2914.25:357:49
3014.25:367:49
3114.25:367:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.98 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.63 kWh/m² to a high of 7.98 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.9Intense
27.9Intense
37.9Intense
47.9Intense
57.9Intense
67.9Intense
77.9Intense
88.0Intense
98.0Intense
108.0Intense
118.0Intense
128.0Intense
138.0Intense
148.0Intense
158.0Intense
168.0Intense
178.0Intense
188.0Intense
198.0Intense
208.0Intense
218.0Intense
228.0Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
258.0Intense
268.0Intense
278.0Intense
288.1Intense
298.1Intense
308.1Intense
318.1Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ashton?

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

7.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Ashton for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ashton in December

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

In December, Ashton sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Ashton 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 Ashton peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Ashton 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 Ashton is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2017 µg/m³Jan 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ashton?

Ashton sits at 33.8°S, 20.1°E, 185 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Montagu, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Ashton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashton has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 383 m around an average of 214 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,398 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,225 m.

The land around Ashton is covered by shrubs (47%) and cropland (24%) within 3 km, shrubs (55%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%), shrubs (31%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
383 m
16 km
1,398 m
80 km
2,225 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Montagu 8.0 km · Robertson 16 km · Swellendam 41 km · Worcester 60 km · Caledon 73 km · Bredasdorp 78 km · Ceres 86 km · Franschhoek 87 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 Ashton (-33.8314°, 20.0559°, elevation 185 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).