Fernie weather in December

In December, Fernie sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 172 mm of rain across 20.4 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 20% 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 Fernie's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fernie's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
172 mm
20.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:04 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

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 Fernie reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°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 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)
12414
22414
32414
42414
52414
62414
72414
82414
92414
102414
112414
122414
132414
142414
152514
162514
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

Fernie 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°1601913.55.5
Feb25° / 15°12514.312.96.1
Mar24° / 14°11614.112.26.5
Apr22° / 11°528.611.47.1
May20° / 213.810.78.0
Jun19° / 122.410.47.9
Jul19° / 112.210.57.9
Aug21° / 203.911.18.1
Sep23° / 10°427.511.87.7
Oct23° / 11°10114.912.66.2
Nov24° / 13°14418.613.35.5
Dec25° / 14°17220.413.65.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33367
43367
53367
63367
73367
83367
93367
103367
113466
123565
133565
143664
153763
163862
173862
183961
193961
203961
213961
224060
234060
244159
254060
264258
274258
284357
294357
304357
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Fernie gets around 172 mm of rain over 20.4 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 66% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
167
267
367
468
568
668
768
868
968
1068
1167
1267
1367
1466
1566
1665
1765
1865
1965
2065
2165
2265
2365
2465
2565
2665
2765
2864
2964
3064
3163

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 (%)
12652220
22553220
32453230
42354230
52255230
62056240
71956250
81856260
91756270
101656280
111556290
121456300
131455310
141355320
151255330
161252351
171152361
181052371
191050391
20949411
21948421
22847431
23846451
24845461
25843471
26942481
27941491
28940491
29939511
301038511
311038511

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:01 AM to 5:11 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:016:33
213.55:016:33
313.65:016:34
413.65:016:35
513.65:016:35
613.65:016:36
713.65:016:37
813.65:016:37
913.65:026:38
1013.65:026:39
1113.65:026:39
1213.65:026:40
1313.65:036:41
1413.65:036:41
1513.65:036:42
1613.65:046:42
1713.65:046:43
1813.75:046:44
1913.75:056:44
2013.75:056:45
2113.75:066:45
2213.75:066:46
2313.75:076:46
2413.75:076:46
2513.75:086:47
2613.75:086:47
2713.65:096:48
2813.65:096:48
2913.65:106:48
3013.65:106:49
3113.65:116:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.01 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.01 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.01 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Fernie

In seasonPeak

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

Fernie'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 Fernie?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Fernie for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fernie in December

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

In December, Fernie sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Fernie 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 Fernie peaks around January 12 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 12UV 14Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Fernie 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 Fernie is worst in November — around 46 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 18 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateModeratePoorModeratePoorModerateNov 1543 µg/m³Dec 2219 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr36Poor
May31Moderate
Jun35Moderate
Jul40Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct26Moderate
Nov46Poor
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Fernie?

Fernie sits at 26.4°S, 30.8°E, 1,417 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empuluzu, 10 km away.

Topography around Fernie

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fernie has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 233 m around an average of 1,447 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 553 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,750 m.

The land around Fernie is covered by grassland (77%) within 3 km, grassland (61%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and grassland (55%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
233 m
16 km
553 m
80 km
1,750 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Empuluzu 10 km · Redhill 15 km · Mbabane 35 km · Lukwatini 37 km · Nhlazatje 39 km · Lobamba 42 km · Manzini 60 km · Piet Retief 69 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 Fernie (-26.3901°, 30.7874°, elevation 1,417 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).