Ladysmith weather in December

In December, Ladysmith sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 179 mm of rain across 19.6 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Ladysmith's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ladysmith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
179 mm
19.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:03 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ladysmith reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12815
22815
32815
42815
52815
62815
72815
82815
92816
102816
112816
122816
132816
142816
152816
162816
172816
182816
192816
202816
212916
222916
232916
242917
252917
262917
272917
282917
292917
302917
312917

Ladysmith weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 17°17218.913.64.6
Feb28° / 17°14214.6135.2
Mar27° / 15°11713.512.26.2
Apr25° / 12°587.911.37.5
May23° / 213.510.68.6
Jun21° / 142.810.28.4
Jul21° / 162.310.48.4
Aug23° / 284.4118.4
Sep26° / 11°396.911.87.6
Oct27° / 13°10013.812.76.2
Nov27° / 14°13716.813.45.4
Dec28° / 16°17919.613.84.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74753
84753
94753
104951
114951
124951
134951
145050
155050
165248
175248
185347
195347
205347
215446
225446
235446
245446
255347
265347
275446
285446
295545
305545
315644

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ladysmith gets around 179 mm of rain over 19.6 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 63% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
163
263
364
464
565
665
765
865
965
1065
1165
1264
1364
1463
1562
1662
1761
1861
1961
2061
2161
2261
2361
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3061
3161

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13350170
23251170
33052180
42853190
52753200
62554210
72454220
82354230
92254240
102154250
112053261
121953271
131853281
141753291
151752301
161652311
171551331
181450342
191449352
201348363
211248373
221147384
231146404
241045414
251044425
26943435
27942445
28941446
29941456
30940456
31939466

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:00 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:006:41
213.75:006:42
313.75:006:43
413.75:006:43
513.75:006:44
613.75:006:45
713.85:006:46
813.85:016:46
913.85:016:47
1013.85:016:48
1113.85:016:48
1213.85:026:49
1313.85:026:50
1413.85:026:50
1513.85:026:51
1613.85:036:51
1713.85:036:52
1813.85:046:52
1913.85:046:53
2013.85:046:53
2113.85:056:54
2213.85:056:54
2313.85:066:55
2413.85:066:55
2513.85:076:56
2613.85:076:56
2713.85:086:57
2813.85:086:57
2913.85:096:57
3013.85:106:58
3113.85:106:58

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.53 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.6 kWh/m² to a high of 6.53 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.53 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Ladysmith

In seasonPeak

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

Ladysmith'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 Ladysmith?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Ladysmith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ladysmith in December

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

In December, Ladysmith sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ladysmith 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 Ladysmith peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug5High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Ladysmith 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 Ladysmith is worst in September — around 45 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 10 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 945 µg/m³Jan 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun36Poor
Jul41Poor
Aug45Poor
Sep45Poor
Oct24Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ladysmith?

Ladysmith sits at 28.6°S, 29.8°E, 1,010 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Estcourt, 51 km away.

Topography around Ladysmith

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ladysmith has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 180 m around an average of 1,034 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 522 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,875 m.

The land around Ladysmith is covered by grassland (36%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) and shrubs (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) within 80 km.

3 km
180 m
16 km
522 m
80 km
2,875 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Estcourt 51 km · Wembesi 55 km · Glencoe 56 km · Dundee 62 km · Harrismith 71 km · Mooi River 75 km · Tshiame 81 km · Newcastle 90 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 Ladysmith (-28.5587°, 29.779°, elevation 1,010 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).