Harrismith weather in December

In December, Harrismith sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 173 mm of rain across 18.8 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Harrismith's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
173 mm
18.8 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:06 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
59%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Harrismith is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1849

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Harrismith reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°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)
12412
22412
32412
42413
52413
62413
72413
82413
92413
102413
112413
122413
132413
142413
152413
162413
172413
182513
192514
202514
212514
222514
232514
242514
252514
262514
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

How December really feels in Harrismith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Harrismith weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 2nd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°17119.5013.65.5
Feb24° / 14°126150136.0
Mar23° / 13°9913.9012.26.5
Apr21° / 10°477.7011.37.2
May19° / 1830.110.67.8
Jun17° / 101.90.110.27.1
Jul17° / 111.50.510.47.2
Aug19° / 233.90.3117.7
Sep22° / 3250.311.88.0
Oct23° / 10°9012.3012.76.7
Nov24° / 12°12515.4013.46.1
Dec24° / 13°17318.8013.85.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24753
34753
44852
54654
64654
74753
84753
94852
104852
114951
124951
135050
144951
154951
165149
175050
185050
195149
205149
215149
225050
234951
245050
255050
265050
275050
285149
295149
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Harrismith gets around 173 mm of rain over 18.8 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 60% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
159
260
361
462
563
663
764
864
964
1063
1163
1262
1361
1461
1560
1659
1758
1858
1957
2057
2157
2257
2357
2458
2558
2658
2759
2859
2959
3060
3160

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

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
172271
271281
370291
468311
567321
666331
765341
864351
963361
1062371
1160382
1259392
1358402
1457412
1554433
1653443
1751454
1850464
1948475
2047485
2145496
2243516
2342517
2440528
2539538
2638539
2737549
28365410
29365410
30355411
31355411

Wind in December

Winds average 11 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:03 AM to 5:13 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:036:43
213.75:036:44
313.75:036:45
413.75:036:45
513.75:036:46
613.75:046:47
713.75:046:48
813.75:046:48
913.75:046:49
1013.85:046:50
1113.85:056:50
1213.85:056:51
1313.85:056:51
1413.85:056:52
1513.85:066:53
1613.85:066:53
1713.85:066:54
1813.85:076:54
1913.85:076:55
2013.85:086:55
2113.85:086:56
2213.85:096:56
2313.85:096:57
2413.85:096:57
2513.85:106:58
2613.85:116:58
2713.85:116:59
2813.85:126:59
2913.85:126:59
3013.85:137:00
3113.85:137:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.74 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.74 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
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
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
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Harrismith

In seasonPeak

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

Harrismith'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 Harrismith?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.9
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Harrismith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Harrismith in December

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

In December, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Harrismith 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 Harrismith peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 14UV 15Jun 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Harrismith 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 Harrismith is worst in September — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.1× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 1340 µg/m³Jan 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul34Moderate
Aug35Moderate
Sep42Poor
Oct25Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harrismith?

Harrismith sits at 28.3°S, 29.1°E, 1,643 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tshiame, 15 km away.

Topography around Harrismith

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harrismith has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 1,663 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 802 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,391 m.

The land around Harrismith is covered by grassland (67%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
802 m
80 km
2,391 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Tshiame 15 km · Phuthaditjhaba 42 km · Ladysmith 71 km · Bethlehem 81 km · Reitz 87 km · Vrede 94 km · Newcastle 97 km · Fouriesburg 98 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 Harrismith (-28.2728°, 29.1295°, elevation 1,643 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).