Barberton weather in December

In December, Barberton sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 128 mm of rain across 17 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-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 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Barberton's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Barberton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
128 mm
17 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:04 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Barberton is town in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

Founded
1884

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 Barberton reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112617
122617
132617
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Barberton 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° / 18°12916.213.45.5
Feb27° / 18°10913.512.95.8
Mar26° / 17°8812.212.26.4
Apr25° / 14°44711.47.6
May23° / 10°173.110.88.7
Jun22° / 71.510.48.7
Jul21° / 71.410.68.6
Aug23° / 122.511.18.7
Sep25° / 12°244.711.88.1
Oct25° / 14°5810.812.66.8
Nov26° / 16°10415.213.35.8
Dec27° / 17°1281713.65.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23565
33565
43565
53565
63466
73466
83466
93466
103466
113565
123565
133565
143565
153565
163763
173763
183763
193763
203961
213961
223961
234060
243961
254060
264060
274159
284258
294258
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Barberton gets around 128 mm of rain over 17 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 54% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
252
352
453
553
653
754
854
955
1055
1155
1255
1355
1455
1555
1655
1755
1855
1955
2055
2155
2255
2355
2455
2555
2655
2755
2855
2955
3054
3154

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
111304514
210304614
39304714
48294814
58294915
67284915
76285016
86285016
95275117
104265218
114265119
123255220
133245221
143245122
153235123
162225224
172215225
182205127
192195128
202185129
212175031
222174932
232164933
242154934
252154835
262144835
272144836
282144736
292144736
302144736
313144836

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 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 5:01 AM to 5:11 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:016:30
213.55:016:31
313.55:016:32
413.55:016:32
513.55:016:33
613.55:016:34
713.65:016:34
813.65:026:35
913.65:026:36
1013.65:026:36
1113.65:026:37
1213.65:036:38
1313.65:036:38
1413.65:036:39
1513.65:046:39
1613.65:046:40
1713.65:046:41
1813.65:056:41
1913.65:056:42
2013.65:056:42
2113.65:066:43
2213.65:066:43
2313.65:076:44
2413.65:076:44
2513.65:086:44
2613.65:086:45
2713.65:096:45
2813.65:096:46
2913.65:106:46
3013.65:116:46
3113.65:116:47

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.82 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Barberton

In seasonPeak

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

Barberton'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 Barberton?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Barberton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Barberton in December

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

In December, Barberton sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Barberton in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Barberton peaks around February 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeFeb 12UV 13Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Barberton 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 Barberton is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1850 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun37Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug43Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Barberton?

Barberton sits at 25.8°S, 31.1°E, 853 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tekwane, 36 km away.

Topography around Barberton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Barberton has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m around an average of 981 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,356 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,040 m.

The land around Barberton is covered by trees (36%), grassland (29%) and shrubs (20%) within 3 km, trees (40%) and grassland (40%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
906 m
16 km
1,356 m
80 km
2,040 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Tekwane 36 km · Mbombela 36 km · Lukwatini 38 km · Nhlazatje 38 km · Matsulu 42 km · Schoemansdal 47 km · White River 51 km · Driekoppies 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 Barberton (-25.7884°, 31.0532°, elevation 853 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).