Kimberley weather in December

In December, Kimberley sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 61 mm of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 Kimberley's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kimberley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
1st warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
61 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:22 AM – 7:12 PM
Cloud cover
37%
10th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Kimberley is city in the Northern Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,572/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 33°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kimberley reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 37°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13217
23217
33217
43217
53217
63217
73217
83217
93217
103218
113218
123218
133318
143318
153318
163318
173318
183318
193318
203318
213318
223318
233319
243319
253319
263319
273319
283319
293319
303319
313319

How December really feels in Kimberley

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 26 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
26
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kimberley weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 19°7911.413.63.9
Feb32° / 19°6310.4134.3
Mar30° / 17°6310.112.25.6
Apr26° / 12°416.411.37.7
May23° / 18310.68.6
Jun19° / 121.910.28.1
Jul19° / 5110.48.4
Aug22° / 101.7118.8
Sep26° / 10°132.511.88.4
Oct29° / 13°335.812.76.4
Nov31° / 16°557.813.45.2
Dec33° / 18°619.513.84.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% 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 22%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37525
47525
57525
67525
77525
87624
97624
107723
117822
127822
137822
147921
157921
168020
178020
188119
198119
208119
218119
228020
238020
248020
258119
268119
278119
288020
298020
307921
317921

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kimberley gets around 61 mm of rain over 9.5 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 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
229
329
430
530
630
730
831
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2230
2330
2431
2531
2632
2732
2832
2933
3033
3133

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 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1821350
2811450
3811450
4801550
5801550
6791650
7791650
8791650
9791650
10791650
11791650
12791650
13781660
14771661
15771661
16771661
17771661
18761671
19761671
20741781
21741781
22721891
23721891
247019101
257019101
266720112
276620122
286620122
296520132
306520132
316420142

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

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 5:20 AM to 5:30 AM, and sunset from 7:02 PM to 7:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:207:02
213.75:207:02
313.75:207:03
413.75:207:04
513.75:207:05
613.85:207:05
713.85:207:06
813.85:207:07
913.85:217:07
1013.85:217:08
1113.85:217:09
1213.85:217:09
1313.85:217:10
1413.85:227:11
1513.85:227:11
1613.85:227:12
1713.85:237:12
1813.85:237:13
1913.85:247:13
2013.85:247:14
2113.85:247:14
2213.85:257:15
2313.85:257:15
2413.85:267:16
2513.85:267:16
2613.85:277:17
2713.85:277:17
2813.85:287:17
2913.85:297:18
3013.85:297:18
3113.85:307:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.94 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.62 kWh/m² to a high of 7.94 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.94 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
118.0Intense
128.0Intense
138.0Intense
148.0Intense
158.0Intense
168.0Intense
178.0Intense
188.0Intense
198.0Intense
208.0Intense
218.0Intense
228.0Intense
238.0Intense
248.0Intense
257.9Intense
267.9Intense
277.9Intense
287.9Intense
297.9Intense
307.8Intense
317.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kimberley?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Kimberley in December

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

In December, Kimberley sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Kimberley 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 Kimberley peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 4 (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 20UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Kimberley?

Kimberley sits at 28.7°S, 24.8°E, 1,224 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Warrenton, 69 km away.

Winnie Mandela

Topography around Kimberley

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kimberley has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 104 m around an average of 1,215 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 184 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 m.

The land around Kimberley is covered by artificial surfaces (56%) and shrubs (22%) within 3 km, grassland (76%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) and shrubs (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
104 m
16 km
184 m
80 km
433 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Warrenton 69 km · Christiana 99 km · Pampierstad 106 km · Bultfontein 144 km · Bloemhof 146 km · Bloemfontein 148 km · Hoopstad 150 km · Winnie Mandela 165 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 Kimberley (-28.7323°, 24.7623°, elevation 1,224 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).