Athlone weather in December

In December, Athlone sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 17 mm of rain across 3.6 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Athlone's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athlone's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
17 mm
3.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:35 AM – 7:50 PM
Cloud cover
30%
3rd clearest
Wind
22 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
8.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.1
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical December day in Athlone reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12116
22116
32116
42116
52116
62117
72117
82117
92117
102117
112117
122117
132117
142117
152117
162117
172117
182117
192117
202117
212117
222117
232117
242217
252217
262217
272217
282218
292218
302218
312218

Athlone weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 18°152.8148.5
Feb22° / 18°14313.38.5
Mar21° / 17°163.312.38.1
Apr20° / 15°435.211.27.2
May18° / 14°678.410.36.3
Jun16° / 12°10811.19.85.2
Jul16° / 11°989.9105.1
Aug16° / 11°8710.310.75.1
Sep17° / 12°518.211.85.7
Oct18° / 14°335.812.96.8
Nov20° / 15°305.113.87.3
Dec21° / 17°173.614.28.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18119
28119
38119
48119
58119
68119
78020
88020
98020
107921
117921
128020
138020
148020
158020
168119
178119
188020
198020
208119
218218
228218
238317
248317
258317
268515
278515
288515
298515
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Athlone gets around 17 mm of rain over 3.6 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 11% and peaks near 12% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
112
211
311
411
511
610
710
810
910
1010
1110
1210
1310
1410
1510
1611
1711
1811
1911
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2611
2711
2811
2911
3011
3111

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 45% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13750140
23550150
33450160
43250180
53150190
62950210
72849220
82749240
92649250
102548270
112448280
122447290
132347300
142346310
152246320
162245330
172244330
182244340
192243350
202243350
212242360
222142360
232141371
242141381
252040391
262040391
271939402
281938412
291838422
301738432
311737433

Wind in December

Winds average 22 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
622breezy
722breezy
822breezy
922breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

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 5:33 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 7:39 PM to 7:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:337:39
214.15:337:40
314.15:337:40
414.15:337:41
514.25:337:42
614.25:337:43
714.25:337:43
814.25:337:44
914.25:337:45
1014.25:337:46
1114.25:337:46
1214.25:347:47
1314.25:347:48
1414.25:347:48
1514.25:347:49
1614.35:357:50
1714.35:357:50
1814.35:357:51
1914.35:367:51
2014.35:367:52
2114.35:377:52
2214.35:377:53
2314.35:387:53
2414.35:387:54
2514.35:397:54
2614.35:397:55
2714.35:407:55
2814.35:407:55
2914.25:417:56
3014.25:427:56
3114.25:427:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 8.24 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.48 kWh/m² to a high of 8.24 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 8.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.2Intense
28.2Intense
38.2Intense
48.2Intense
58.2Intense
68.2Intense
78.2Intense
88.2Intense
98.2Intense
108.2Intense
118.2Intense
128.3Intense
138.3Intense
148.3Intense
158.3Intense
168.3Intense
178.3Intense
188.3Intense
198.3Intense
208.3Intense
218.3Intense
228.3Intense
238.3Intense
248.3Intense
258.3Intense
268.3Intense
278.3Intense
288.3Intense
298.3Intense
308.3Intense
318.3Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Athlone

In seasonPeak

None of Athlone's seasonal hazards are active in December. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Athlone's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Athlone?

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

8.1
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Athlone for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Athlone in December

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

In December, Athlone sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker. About 4 days see rain.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Athlone in December

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in January at about 18°C and coldest in August near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May15Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Athlone 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 Athlone 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 highModerateVery highExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Athlone 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 Athlone is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Athlone?

Athlone sits at 34.0°S, 18.5°E, 15 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Lansdowne, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Athlone

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Athlone has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 41 m around an average of 15 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,078 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,973 m.

The land around Athlone is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (40%) within 16 km, and water (45%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
41 m
16 km
1,078 m
80 km
1,973 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Lansdowne 2.0 km · Rondebosch 2.0 km · Cape Town 9.0 km · Retreat 10 km · Muizenberg 15 km · Kuils River 19 km · Durbanville 20 km · Kraaifontein 24 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 Athlone (-33.9672°, 18.5021°, elevation 15 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).