Glencoe weather in December

In December, Glencoe sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 154 mm of rain across 19.1 wet days and about 13.8 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 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Glencoe's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Glencoe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
154 mm
19.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:02 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Glencoe is town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Founded
1903

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 Glencoe reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°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)
12614
22614
32614
42614
52614
62614
72614
82614
92615
102615
112615
122615
132615
142615
152615
162715
172715
182715
192715
202715
212715
222715
232715
242716
252716
262716
272716
282716
292716
302716
312716

Glencoe 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
Jan27° / 16°15117.613.65.4
Feb27° / 16°12814.7135.7
Mar26° / 14°10512.912.26.5
Apr24° / 12°527.611.37.6
May22° / 183.210.68.3
Jun20° / 111.810.28.2
Jul20° / 141.710.48.3
Aug22° / 223.7118.3
Sep25° / 10°356.111.87.8
Oct25° / 12°9212.712.76.5
Nov26° / 13°1251713.45.5
Dec27° / 15°15419.113.85.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44060
54060
64060
74060
84060
94060
104060
114159
124159
134258
144357
154456
164456
174456
184456
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274555
284555
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Glencoe gets around 154 mm of rain over 19.1 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 61% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
161
262
362
463
563
663
764
864
963
1063
1162
1262
1361
1460
1559
1659
1758
1858
1958
2058
2158
2259
2359
2459
2560
2660
2760
2860
2960
3060
3160

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 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13948120
23850130
33651130
43452140
53353140
63154150
73054160
82954170
92756170
102656180
112556190
122456200
132455210
142356210
152256220
162255230
172155240
182054251
191954261
201854271
211754281
221753291
231653301
241553311
251551322
261451332
271450342
281450352
291449352
301348362
311347373

Wind in December

Winds average 10 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
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 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 4:59 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:596:39
213.74:596:40
313.74:596:40
413.75:006:41
513.75:006:42
613.75:006:43
713.75:006:43
813.75:006:44
913.75:006:45
1013.75:006:45
1113.85:016:46
1213.85:016:47
1313.85:016:47
1413.85:026:48
1513.85:026:48
1613.85:026:49
1713.85:036:50
1813.85:036:50
1913.85:036:51
2013.85:046:51
2113.85:046:52
2213.85:056:52
2313.85:056:53
2413.85:066:53
2513.85:066:53
2613.85:076:54
2713.85:076:54
2813.85:086:55
2913.85:086:55
3013.85:096:55
3113.85:106:56

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.37 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.57 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.37 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
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 Glencoe

In seasonPeak

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

Glencoe'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 Glencoe?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Glencoe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Glencoe in December

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

In December, Glencoe sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Glencoe 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 Glencoe peaks around January 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 15Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Glencoe 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 Glencoe is worst in September — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 945 µg/m³Jan 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Glencoe?

Glencoe sits at 28.2°S, 30.1°E, 1,293 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Dundee, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Glencoe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Glencoe has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 255 m around an average of 1,305 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 743 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,843 m.

The land around Glencoe is covered by grassland (57%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) within 80 km.

3 km
255 m
16 km
743 m
80 km
1,843 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Dundee 9.0 km · Newcastle 51 km · Ladysmith 56 km · Mondlo 60 km · Vryheid 78 km · Volksrust 94 km · Estcourt 97 km · Harrismith 100 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 Glencoe (-28.1783°, 30.147°, elevation 1,293 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).