Balfour weather in December

In December, Balfour sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 148 mm of rain across 17.2 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-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 33% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of December to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Balfour's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balfour's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
148 mm
17.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:12 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
56%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Balfour is place in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Founded
1898

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 Balfour reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12614
22614
32614
42614
52615
62615
72615
82615
92615
102615
112615
122615
132615
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Balfour weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°13315.513.56.0
Feb26° / 16°9812.312.96.3
Mar25° / 14°8711.112.27.0
Apr23° / 11°406.911.47.6
May21° / 162.810.78.2
Jun18° / 81.610.48.0
Jul18° / 4110.58.0
Aug21° / 132.511.18.5
Sep25° / 10°23411.88.4
Oct26° / 13°8310.412.67.0
Nov26° / 14°1081313.36.3
Dec26° / 15°14817.213.65.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55347
65446
75446
85446
95446
105446
115446
125545
135545
145545
155545
165545
175644
185644
195644
205644
215545
225545
235644
245644
255644
265743
275842
285842
295941
305941
316040

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Balfour gets around 148 mm of rain over 17.2 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 55% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
255
356
457
557
658
758
858
958
1058
1158
1257
1357
1456
1555
1654
1753
1853
1952
2052
2152
2252
2352
2453
2553
2653
2753
2853
2953
3053
3152

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 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
153425
252435
350446
449456
547476
645487
744497
842517
941518
1040528
1139538
1238548
1337558
1436568
1535569
1635569
17345610
18335611
19325513
20315514
21305515
22295417
23285418
24275320
25265321
26255223
27255124
28245125
29244927
30244827
31244828

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
112light breeze
212light breeze
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
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 36 min at the start of December to 13 h 42 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 5:09 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.65:096:42
213.65:096:43
313.65:096:43
413.65:096:44
513.65:096:45
613.65:096:46
713.65:096:46
813.65:106:47
913.65:106:48
1013.65:106:48
1113.65:106:49
1213.65:116:49
1313.75:116:50
1413.75:116:51
1513.75:116:51
1613.75:126:52
1713.75:126:52
1813.75:136:53
1913.75:136:53
2013.75:136:54
2113.75:146:54
2213.75:146:55
2313.75:156:55
2413.75:156:56
2513.75:166:56
2613.75:166:57
2713.75:176:57
2813.75:176:57
2913.75:186:58
3013.75:196:58
3113.75:196:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.92 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.86 kWh/m² to a high of 6.92 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.92 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.9Intense
116.9Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
157.0Intense
167.0Intense
177.0Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Balfour

In seasonPeak

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

Balfour'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 Balfour?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Balfour for sightseeing.

What to pack for Balfour in December

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

In December, Balfour sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Balfour 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 Balfour peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Balfour 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 Balfour is worst in July — around 69 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.9× the cleanest month (January, 18 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1468 µg/m³Jan 1418 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar33Moderate
Apr44Poor
May56Unhealthy
Jun65Unhealthy
Jul69Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep50Poor
Oct33Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Balfour?

Balfour sits at 26.7°S, 28.6°E, 1,622 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Nigel, 28 km away.

Topography around Balfour

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balfour has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 136 m around an average of 1,631 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 326 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 511 m.

The land around Balfour is covered by grassland (45%) and cropland (41%) within 3 km, grassland (55%) and cropland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and cropland (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
136 m
16 km
326 m
80 km
511 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Nigel 28 km · Heidelberg 29 km · Villiers 41 km · Lebohang 46 km · Leslie 46 km · eMbalenhle 50 km · Springs 50 km · Brakpan 52 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 Balfour (-26.6633°, 28.5902°, elevation 1,622 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).