Carolina weather in December

In December, Carolina sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 134 mm of rain across 16.9 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 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 Carolina's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carolina's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
134 mm
16.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:07 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
62%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Carolina is town in South Africa.

Founded
1883

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 Carolina reaches about 24°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 20°C and 28°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
22413
32413
42413
52413
62413
72413
82414
92414
102414
112414
122414
132414
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192514
202514
212514
222514
232514
242514
252514
262514
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

How December really feels in Carolina

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.

Carolina 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° / 14°1161513.46.2
Feb25° / 14°8811.212.96.6
Mar24° / 13°8110.612.27.1
Apr22° / 10°406.411.47.5
May20° / 132.210.78.1
Jun18° / 51.110.47.8
Jul18° / 50.710.57.8
Aug21° / 101.911.18.4
Sep24° / 203.711.88.5
Oct24° / 11°731112.67.1
Nov24° / 13°10714.813.36.2
Dec24° / 14°13416.913.65.9

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 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34159
44159
54258
64258
74258
84357
94258
104258
114357
124357
134357
144357
154456
164555
174555
184555
194654
204654
214654
224753
234753
244654
254753
264753
274852
284951
294951
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Carolina gets around 134 mm of rain over 16.9 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 54% and peaks near 56% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
251
351
452
552
652
753
853
954
1054
1154
1254
1354
1454
1554
1654
1754
1854
1955
2055
2155
2255
2356
2456
2556
2655
2755
2854
2954
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 58% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
150492
249492
348502
447503
545523
644533
743534
841554
940555
1038575
1137576
1236586
1335587
1433598
1532608
1631609
1730619
18296110
19276211
20266311
21256312
22246313
23236314
24226315
25226216
26216217
27216217
28216118
29206218
30206119
31216019

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
112calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
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 5:04 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:046:35
213.55:046:35
313.55:046:36
413.55:046:37
513.65:046:37
613.65:046:38
713.65:056:39
813.65:056:40
913.65:056:40
1013.65:056:41
1113.65:056:41
1213.65:066:42
1313.65:066:43
1413.65:066:43
1513.65:076:44
1613.65:076:44
1713.65:076:45
1813.65:086:45
1913.65:086:46
2013.65:096:47
2113.65:096:47
2213.65:106:47
2313.65:106:48
2413.65:116:48
2513.65:116:49
2613.65:126:49
2713.65:126:50
2813.65:136:50
2913.65:136:50
3013.65:146:51
3113.65:146:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.44 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.44 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
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
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 Carolina

In seasonPeak

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

Carolina'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 Carolina?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Carolina for sightseeing.

What to pack for Carolina in December

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

In December, Carolina sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Carolina 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 Carolina 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
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Carolina 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 Carolina is worst in July — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJul 2331 µg/m³Dec 2211 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul31Moderate
Aug31Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Carolina?

Carolina sits at 26.1°S, 30.1°E, 1,698 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Breyten, 29 km away.

Topography around Carolina

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Carolina has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 135 m around an average of 1,677 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,461 m.

The land around Carolina is covered by grassland (68%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) and cropland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
135 m
16 km
366 m
80 km
1,461 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Breyten 29 km · Hendrina 41 km · Belfast 43 km · Ermelo 53 km · Nhlazatje 68 km · Lukwatini 71 km · Empuluzu 71 km · Middelburg 73 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 Carolina (-26.0693°, 30.1149°, elevation 1,698 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).