Emalahleni weather in December

In December, Emalahleni sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 123 mm of rain across 16.8 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 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 Emalahleni's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Emalahleni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
123 mm
16.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:11 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
59%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Emalahleni is town in South Africa.

Density
2,273/km²
people per km²
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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Emalahleni reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°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)
12615
22615
32615
42615
52615
62615
72615
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212716
222716
232716
242716
252716
262716
272716
282716
292716
302716
312716

Emalahleni 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° / 17°12415.213.45.9
Feb27° / 16°9612.112.96.2
Mar26° / 15°9411.412.26.8
Apr23° / 12°446.411.47.8
May22° / 162.510.88.4
Jun19° / 6110.48.3
Jul19° / 60.810.58.4
Aug22° / 91.711.18.8
Sep25° / 11°203.311.88.5
Oct26° / 14°7310.212.67.0
Nov26° / 15°1071413.36.1
Dec26° / 16°12316.813.65.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
54951
64951
75050
85050
95050
104951
114951
124951
134951
145050
155149
165149
175149
185248
195248
205347
215248
225248
235347
245347
255347
265545
275644
285644
295743
305842
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Emalahleni gets around 123 mm of rain over 16.8 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 56% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
151
252
353
454
554
655
755
856
956
1056
1156
1256
1356
1455
1555
1654
1754
1853
1953
2053
2153
2253
2353
2453
2553
2653
2753
2853
2952
3052
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 55% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1375112
2365212
3355312
4335413
5325414
6315514
7305515
8295516
9275617
10265717
11255718
12245719
13225919
14215920
15205921
16205822
17195823
18185824
19175825
20165826
21155827
22155629
23145630
24145531
25145432
26145432
27145333
28155134
29155134
30165035
31164935

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 5:08 AM to 5:18 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)
113.55:086:38
213.55:086:39
313.55:086:39
413.55:086:40
513.55:086:41
613.55:086:41
713.65:086:42
813.65:096:43
913.65:096:43
1013.65:096:44
1113.65:096:45
1213.65:106:45
1313.65:106:46
1413.65:106:46
1513.65:116:47
1613.65:116:47
1713.65:116:48
1813.65:126:49
1913.65:126:49
2013.65:136:50
2113.65:136:50
2213.65:136:51
2313.65:146:51
2413.65:146:51
2513.65:156:52
2613.65:156:52
2713.65:166:53
2813.65:176:53
2913.65:176:53
3013.65:186:54
3113.65:186:54

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.64 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 6.64 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.64 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
106.5Intense
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
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Emalahleni

In seasonPeak

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

Emalahleni'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 Emalahleni?

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
5.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Emalahleni for sightseeing.

What to pack for Emalahleni in December

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

In December, Emalahleni sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Emalahleni 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 Emalahleni peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Emalahleni 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 Emalahleni is worst in July — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.1× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1473 µg/m³Dec 2315 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr41Poor
May59Unhealthy
Jun66Unhealthy
Jul74Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep48Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Emalahleni?

Emalahleni sits at 25.9°S, 29.2°E, 1,629 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Phola, 25 km away.

Topography around Emalahleni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Emalahleni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 185 m around an average of 1,570 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 330 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,049 m.

The land around Emalahleni is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, grassland (66%) within 16 km, and grassland (57%) and cropland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
185 m
16 km
330 m
80 km
1,049 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Phola 25 km · Middelburg 26 km · Thubelihle 39 km · Kriel 42 km · Verena 48 km · Bronkhorstspruit 50 km · Ekangala 55 km · Hendrina 58 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 Emalahleni (-25.8713°, 29.2332°, elevation 1,629 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).