Belfast weather in December

In December, Belfast sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 155 mm of rain across 18.9 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 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Belfast's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Belfast's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
155 mm
18.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:08 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.39 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Belfast is town in South Africa.

Founded
1890

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Belfast reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12313
22313
32313
42313
52313
62313
72313
82313
92313
102313
112313
122313
132313
142313
152413
162413
172414
182414
192414
202414
212414
222414
232414
242414
252414
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

How December really feels in Belfast

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Belfast 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
Jan24° / 14°1401713.45.9
Feb24° / 14°10212.312.96.4
Mar23° / 12°9711.812.26.7
Apr21° / 10°476.611.47.2
May19° / 142.510.87.8
Jun17° / 50.910.47.2
Jul17° / 60.810.67.2
Aug19° / 111.911.18.2
Sep23° / 224.211.88.2
Oct23° / 11°7711.812.66.8
Nov23° / 12°12215.613.35.9
Dec24° / 13°15518.913.65.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34060
44060
54060
64060
74060
84159
94159
104159
114159
124159
134159
144258
154258
164357
174357
184357
194555
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274555
284555
294654
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Belfast gets around 155 mm of rain over 18.9 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 60% and peaks near 62% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
156
257
358
458
559
660
760
861
961
1061
1162
1261
1361
1461
1561
1660
1760
1860
1960
2060
2160
2261
2361
2461
2561
2661
2760
2860
2960
3059
3159

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 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
157421
256431
356431
454442
553452
652462
751472
849483
948493
1046513
1145514
1244524
1343534
1441554
1540555
1639565
1737585
1836586
1934606
2032617
2131627
2230628
2328648
2427649
2526659
26266410
27256510
28246511
29246511
30246412
31246412

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

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 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 5:05 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:056:34
213.55:056:35
313.55:056:36
413.55:056:36
513.55:056:37
613.55:056:38
713.55:066:38
813.65:066:39
913.65:066:40
1013.65:066:40
1113.65:076:41
1213.65:076:42
1313.65:076:42
1413.65:076:43
1513.65:086:43
1613.65:086:44
1713.65:096:44
1813.65:096:45
1913.65:096:46
2013.65:106:46
2113.65:106:47
2213.65:116:47
2313.65:116:47
2413.65:126:48
2513.65:126:48
2613.65:136:49
2713.65:136:49
2813.65:146:50
2913.65:146:50
3013.65:156:50
3113.65:166:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.39 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.98 kWh/m² to a high of 6.39 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.39 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Belfast

In seasonPeak

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

Belfast'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 Belfast?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Belfast for sightseeing.

What to pack for Belfast in December

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

In December, Belfast sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Belfast 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 Belfast peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 6 (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 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr8Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Belfast 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 Belfast is worst in August — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1432 µg/m³Dec 209 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May21Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul30Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep27Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Belfast?

Belfast sits at 25.7°S, 30.0°E, 1,873 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Carolina, 43 km away.

Topography around Belfast

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Belfast has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 1,882 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 440 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,596 m.

The land around Belfast is covered by grassland (58%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
440 m
80 km
1,596 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Carolina 43 km · Middelburg 58 km · Hendrina 61 km · Breyten 68 km · Lydenburg 78 km · Emalahleni 83 km · Nhlazatje 85 km · Lukwatini 89 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 Belfast (-25.6899°, 30.035°, elevation 1,873 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).