Jeffreys Bay weather in December

In December, Jeffreys Bay sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 43 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Jeffreys Bay's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jeffreys Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
4th warmest
Overnight low
17°
9th coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:09 AM – 7:24 PM
Cloud cover
47%
9th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Jeffreys Bay is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,562/km²
people per km²
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 23°C through the month.

A typical December day in Jeffreys Bay reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12216
22216
32216
42216
52217
62217
72217
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212318
222318
232318
242318
252318
262318
272418
282418
292418
302418
312418

Jeffreys Bay weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 18°397.5147.7
Feb24° / 19°417.313.37.5
Mar24° / 18°467.712.37.6
Apr22° / 16°437.211.27.3
May21° / 14°366.310.37.3
Jun19° / 12°366.19.87.1
Jul19° / 12°366.3107.1
Aug19° / 12°527.510.76.8
Sep19° / 13°387.311.86.7
Oct20° / 14°508.312.96.7
Nov21° / 16°568.513.86.9
Dec23° / 17°438.214.27.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26238
36238
46238
56238
66139
76238
86238
96238
106436
116436
126436
136535
146634
156634
166733
176733
186832
196832
206832
216832
226931
236931
246931
256931
266931
276931
286931
296931
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Jeffreys Bay gets around 43 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 26% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
326
426
526
626
726
826
926
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2226
2327
2427
2527
2627
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 36% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 13% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13039265
22938285
32738295
42638306
52438316
62338327
72238337
82137347
92037358
101937359
111937359
1218373610
1318363611
1417363611
1517363612
1616353613
1716353614
1815353614
1915343615
2015343615
2114333716
2214333716
2314323817
2413313817
2513313918
2612303918
2712304019
2811294019
2911294120
3010284120
3110284121

Wind in December

Winds average 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 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 5:07 AM to 5:16 AM, and sunset from 7:13 PM to 7:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:077:13
214.15:077:14
314.15:077:15
414.15:077:16
514.25:077:16
614.25:077:17
714.25:077:18
814.25:077:19
914.25:077:20
1014.25:077:20
1114.25:077:21
1214.25:087:22
1314.25:087:22
1414.25:087:23
1514.35:087:24
1614.35:097:24
1714.35:097:25
1814.35:097:25
1914.35:107:26
2014.35:107:26
2114.35:117:27
2214.35:117:27
2314.35:127:28
2414.35:127:28
2514.35:137:29
2614.35:137:29
2714.35:147:29
2814.35:147:30
2914.35:157:30
3014.25:167:30
3114.25:167:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.05 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.0Intense
27.0Intense
37.0Intense
47.0Intense
57.0Intense
67.0Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
127.1Intense
137.1Intense
147.1Intense
157.1Intense
167.1Intense
177.1Intense
187.1Intense
197.1Intense
207.1Intense
217.1Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.1Intense
267.1Intense
277.1Intense
287.1Intense
297.1Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Jeffreys Bay?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Jeffreys Bay for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Jeffreys Bay in December

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

In December, Jeffreys Bay sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Jeffreys Bay in December

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 23 to Mar 23 — about 3 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May19Cool
Jun18Cool
Jul18Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct18Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Jeffreys Bay in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Jeffreys Bay peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Jeffreys Bay 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 Jeffreys Bay is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (February, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1618 µg/m³Feb 97 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May14Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jeffreys Bay?

Jeffreys Bay sits at 34.0°S, 24.9°E, 49 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Humansdorp, 14 km away.

Somerset EastGrahamstownKnysna

Topography around Jeffreys Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Jeffreys Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 122 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 449 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,657 m.

The land around Jeffreys Bay is covered by water (39%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, water (46%) and grassland (32%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
122 m
16 km
449 m
80 km
1,657 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Humansdorp 14 km · Kruisfontein 18 km · Kariega 55 km · Port Elizabeth 65 km · Plettenberg Bay 143 km · Somerset East 160 km · Grahamstown 170 km · Knysna 173 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 Jeffreys Bay (-34.0453°, 24.9215°, elevation 49 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).