Knysna weather in December

In December, Knysna sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 47 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Knysna's 7th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knysna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
4th warmest
Overnight low
16°
9th coldest
Rainfall
47 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:16 AM – 7:32 PM
Cloud cover
45%
7th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Knysna is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
631/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 22°C through the month.

A typical December day in Knysna reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 25°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)
12115
22115
32115
42115
52115
62115
72116
82216
92216
102216
112216
122216
132216
142216
152216
162216
172216
182216
192216
202216
212216
222216
232216
242217
252217
262217
272317
282317
292317
302317
312317

Knysna weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°499.2147.3
Feb23° / 18°427.913.37.4
Mar22° / 17°528.512.37.3
Apr21° / 14°527.811.27.0
May19° / 12°476.710.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.29.86.5
Jul17° / 10°467.6106.2
Aug17° / 10°628.810.76.0
Sep18° / 11°498.511.86.2
Oct19° / 13°628.912.96.4
Nov20° / 14°709.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°479.314.27.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36436
46436
56436
66436
76436
86436
96535
106535
116634
126634
136733
146832
156832
166832
176931
186931
196931
206931
217030
227030
237030
247228
257228
267228
277228
287228
297228
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Knysna gets around 47 mm of rain over 9.3 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 (%)
129
228
328
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1128
1228
1329
1429
1529
1630
1730
1831
1932
2032
2132
2233
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13743191
23543211
33443222
43243232
53143242
62944252
72844262
82744273
92644273
102544283
112444284
122344294
132344294
142243304
152243315
162143315
172142325
182042326
192041336
201941336
211940347
221840357
231839357
241738368
251738378
261637389
271637389
2815363910
2914353911
3014354011
3114354011

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light 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 5:14 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 7:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:147:21
214.15:147:22
314.15:147:22
414.15:147:23
514.25:147:24
614.25:147:25
714.25:147:25
814.25:157:26
914.25:157:27
1014.25:157:28
1114.25:157:28
1214.25:157:29
1314.25:157:30
1414.25:167:30
1514.35:167:31
1614.35:167:32
1714.35:177:32
1814.35:177:33
1914.35:177:33
2014.35:187:34
2114.35:187:34
2214.35:197:35
2314.35:197:35
2414.35:207:36
2514.35:207:36
2614.35:217:37
2714.35:217:37
2814.35:227:37
2914.35:237:38
3014.25:237:38
3114.25:247:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.48 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.48 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.4Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.4Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.5Intense
107.5Intense
117.5Intense
127.5Intense
137.5Intense
147.5Intense
157.5Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Knysna?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Knysna in December

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

In December, Knysna sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Knysna 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 January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Knysna 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 Knysna 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 highModerateExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Knysna?

Knysna sits at 34.0°S, 23.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Plettenberg Bay, 30 km away.

Humansdorp

Topography around Knysna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Knysna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 929 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,052 m.

The land around Knysna is covered by trees (41%) and water (20%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (34%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
288 m
16 km
929 m
80 km
2,052 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Plettenberg Bay 30 km · George 55 km · Groot-Brakrivier 76 km · Dysselsdorp 76 km · Mossel Bay 85 km · Oudtshoorn 92 km · Kruisfontein 155 km · Humansdorp 159 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 Knysna (-34.0363°, 23.0471°, elevation 9 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).