Centurion weather in December

In December, Centurion sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 113 mm of rain across 15.2 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 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Centurion's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Centurion's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
113 mm
15.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:15 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
57%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Centurion is town in Gauteng, South Africa.

Density
599/km²
people per km²
Founded
1902

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 Centurion 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 23°C and 32°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)
12716
22716
32716
42716
52717
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162817
172817
182817
192817
202817
212817
222817
232818
242818
252818
262818
272818
282818
292818
302818
312818

Centurion 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
Jan28° / 18°10314.713.45.8
Feb28° / 18°9311.912.96.0
Mar26° / 16°8310.412.26.8
Apr24° / 13°386.211.47.9
May22° / 152.610.88.6
Jun20° / 71.110.48.5
Jul20° / 30.810.58.6
Aug23° / 71.411.19.0
Sep26° / 13°172.511.88.4
Oct27° / 15°638.412.67.0
Nov27° / 16°9012.413.36.2
Dec27° / 17°11315.213.65.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15248
25347
35248
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95347
105446
115545
125545
135545
145545
155545
165644
175644
185743
195644
205644
215644
225644
235545
245545
255545
265545
275743
285743
295743
305743
315842

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Centurion gets around 113 mm of rain over 15.2 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 49% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
146
247
348
448
549
649
750
850
950
1050
1150
1250
1350
1449
1549
1648
1748
1848
1948
2048
2148
2248
2348
2448
2549
2649
2749
2848
2948
3048
3148

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 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13847160
23647160
33548170
43449170
53251170
63151180
73051190
82853190
92753200
102653210
112454220
122354230
132255230
142155240
152055250
161955260
171855270
181853281
191753291
201653301
211652311
221552321
231550341
241549351
251548361
261546371
271645381
281644392
291743392
301741402
311841402

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 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
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 5:12 AM to 5:23 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)
113.55:126:42
213.55:126:43
313.55:126:43
413.55:126:44
513.55:126:45
613.55:136:45
713.65:136:46
813.65:136:47
913.65:136:47
1013.65:136:48
1113.65:146:49
1213.65:146:49
1313.65:146:50
1413.65:146:50
1513.65:156:51
1613.65:156:52
1713.65:166:52
1813.65:166:53
1913.65:166:53
2013.65:176:54
2113.65:176:54
2213.65:186:55
2313.65:186:55
2413.65:196:56
2513.65:196:56
2613.65:206:56
2713.65:206:57
2813.65:216:57
2913.65:216:58
3013.65:226:58
3113.65:236:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.68 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Centurion

In seasonPeak

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

Centurion'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 Centurion?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Centurion for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Centurion in December

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

In December, Centurion sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Centurion 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 Centurion peaks around January 1 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 1UV 14Jun 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Centurion 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 Centurion is worst in July — around 188 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.6× the cleanest month (January, 29 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorJul 10187 µg/m³Jan 1229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb43Poor
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr114Unhealthy
May169Very unhealthy
Jun185Very unhealthy
Jul188Very unhealthy
Aug142Unhealthy
Sep108Unhealthy
Oct62Unhealthy
Nov43Poor
Dec32Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Centurion?

Centurion sits at 25.9°S, 28.2°E, 1,432 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Midstream, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Centurion

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Centurion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 101 m around an average of 1,449 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 m.

The land around Centurion is covered by artificial surfaces (63%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) within 80 km.

3 km
101 m
16 km
374 m
80 km
925 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Midstream 7.0 km · Pretoria 13 km · Midrand 15 km · Ivory Park 15 km · Thembisa 16 km · Diepsloot 19 km · Alexandra 29 km · Edenvale 32 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 Centurion (-25.8589°, 28.1858°, elevation 1,432 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).