Bethal weather in December

In December, Bethal sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 145 mm of rain across 17.8 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Bethal's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bethal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
145 mm
17.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:09 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
61%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Bethal 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 25°C through the month.

A typical December day in Bethal reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°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)
12413
22414
32414
42414
52414
62414
72414
82414
92414
102514
112514
122514
132514
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

How December really feels in Bethal

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.

Bethal 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
Jan25° / 15°13216.213.56.0
Feb25° / 15°9412.412.96.4
Mar24° / 13°9010.812.27.1
Apr22° / 10°426.511.47.5
May20° / 152.710.78.1
Jun18° / 70.910.47.9
Jul18° / 60.810.57.9
Aug21° / 122.411.18.4
Sep24° / 10°233.811.88.5
Oct25° / 12°9112.212.66.9
Nov24° / 13°1121513.36.1
Dec25° / 14°14517.813.65.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24852
34654
44555
54555
64456
74456
84555
94555
104555
114555
124654
134654
144753
154753
164852
174951
184951
195050
205050
214951
225050
235050
244951
255050
265149
275149
285248
295248
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Bethal gets around 145 mm of rain over 17.8 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 57% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
155
256
356
457
557
658
758
858
958
1058
1158
1258
1358
1458
1557
1657
1756
1856
1956
2056
2156
2257
2357
2457
2557
2657
2757
2857
2956
3056
3155

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 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
151463
250473
349483
447493
546504
645514
743534
842535
940555
1039565
1138566
1236586
1335587
1434588
1533598
1632599
17315910
18306010
19286111
20276112
21266113
22256114
23246115
24236116
25226117
26216118
27216019
28206119
29206020
30205921
31205921

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
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1412calm
1511calm
1611calm
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 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 5:06 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:066:38
213.65:066:39
313.65:066:40
413.65:066:40
513.65:066:41
613.65:066:42
713.65:066:42
813.65:076:43
913.65:076:44
1013.65:076:44
1113.65:076:45
1213.65:076:45
1313.65:086:46
1413.65:086:47
1513.65:086:47
1613.75:096:48
1713.75:096:48
1813.75:106:49
1913.75:106:49
2013.75:106:50
2113.75:116:50
2213.75:116:51
2313.75:126:51
2413.75:126:52
2513.75:136:52
2613.75:136:53
2713.75:146:53
2813.75:146:53
2913.65:156:54
3013.65:166:54
3113.65:166:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.66 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.66 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Bethal

In seasonPeak

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

Bethal'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 Bethal?

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
5.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Bethal for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bethal in December

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

In December, Bethal sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Bethal 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 Bethal peaks around January 14 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 14UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bethal 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 Bethal is worst in July — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1286 µg/m³Jan 1024 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr56Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun83Unhealthy
Jul87Unhealthy
Aug72Unhealthy
Sep55Poor
Oct35Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Bethal?

Bethal sits at 26.5°S, 29.5°E, 1,661 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Trichardt, 24 km away.

Topography around Bethal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 78 m around an average of 1,655 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 186 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 540 m.

The land around Bethal is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and cropland (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
78 m
16 km
186 m
80 km
540 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Trichardt 24 km · Kriel 31 km · Secunda 31 km · Thubelihle 32 km · Kinross 38 km · eMbalenhle 41 km · Hendrina 42 km · Ermelo 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 Bethal (-26.4579°, 29.4655°, elevation 1,661 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).