Graaff Reinet weather in December

In December, Graaff Reinet sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 57 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of December to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Graaff Reinet's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Graaff Reinet's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:15 AM – 7:21 PM
Cloud cover
37%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Graaff Reinet is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
309/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 29°C by the end.

A typical December day in Graaff Reinet reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12713
22813
32813
42813
52813
62814
72814
82814
92814
102814
112814
122814
132814
142814
152914
162914
172914
182914
192914
202915
212915
222915
232915
242915
252915
262915
272915
282915
292915
302915
312915

Graaff Reinet weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 16°719.713.95.7
Feb29° / 16°6310.113.25.6
Mar27° / 14°649.212.26.8
Apr24° / 11°356.711.27.7
May21° / 183.710.47.9
Jun18° / 163.39.97.5
Jul18° / 173.310.17.5
Aug20° / 224.310.87.6
Sep23° / 274.311.88.0
Oct25° / 10°417.212.87.7
Nov26° / 12°537.513.77.3
Dec29° / 14°578.214.16.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47228
57228
67228
77327
87327
97327
107327
117525
127525
137525
147624
157624
167624
177624
187723
197723
207723
217822
227822
237822
247921
257921
267921
277921
287921
297921
307921
317822

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Graaff Reinet gets around 57 mm of rain over 8.2 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1126
1226
1327
1427
1528
1628
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2229
2329
2428
2528
2628
2728
2828
2928
3028
3128

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187112
286122
385132
485132
584142
683152
783152
882162
982162
1081172
1181172
1280182
1379183
1478193
1578193
1677194
1776204
1875205
1975205
2074206
2173216
2273216
2371227
2471227
2570237
2669238
2768248
2868248
2966259
3066259
3166259

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 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
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of December to 14 h 06 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 5:13 AM to 5:22 AM, and sunset from 7:10 PM to 7:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.05:137:10
214.05:137:11
314.05:137:12
414.05:137:13
514.05:137:14
614.05:137:14
714.05:137:15
814.05:137:16
914.15:137:17
1014.15:137:17
1114.15:147:18
1214.15:147:19
1314.15:147:19
1414.15:147:20
1514.15:157:21
1614.15:157:21
1714.15:157:22
1814.15:167:22
1914.15:167:23
2014.15:167:23
2114.15:177:24
2214.15:177:24
2314.15:187:25
2414.15:187:25
2514.15:197:26
2614.15:197:26
2714.15:207:26
2814.15:217:27
2914.15:217:27
3014.15:227:27
3114.15:227:28

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.97 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.08 kWh/m² to a high of 7.97 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.97 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.9Intense
27.9Intense
37.9Intense
47.9Intense
57.9Intense
67.9Intense
77.9Intense
87.9Intense
97.9Intense
107.9Intense
117.9Intense
127.9Intense
138.0Intense
148.0Intense
158.0Intense
168.0Intense
178.0Intense
188.0Intense
198.0Intense
208.0Intense
218.0Intense
228.0Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
258.0Intense
268.0Intense
278.0Intense
287.9Intense
297.9Intense
307.9Intense
317.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Graaff Reinet?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Graaff Reinet in December

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

In December, Graaff Reinet sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Graaff Reinet in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Graaff Reinet peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Graaff Reinet?

Graaff Reinet sits at 32.3°S, 24.5°E, 756 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Middelburg, 96 km away.

Beaufort WestDe AarKariegaKruisfonteinHumansdorp

Topography around Graaff Reinet

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Graaff Reinet has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 631 m around an average of 857 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 969 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,048 m.

The land around Graaff Reinet is covered by shrubs (49%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) and shrubs (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
631 m
16 km
969 m
80 km
2,048 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Middelburg 96 km · Cradock 103 km · Somerset East 112 km · Beaufort West 183 km · De Aar 185 km · Kariega 186 km · Kruisfontein 196 km · Humansdorp 199 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 Graaff Reinet (-32.2522°, 24.5308°, elevation 756 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).