Lephalale weather in December

In December, Lephalale sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 71 mm of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Lephalale's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Lephalale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
10th coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:22 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
56%
12th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Lephalale is town in Limpopo, South Africa.

Founded
1960

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 31°C through the month.

A typical December day in Lephalale reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23120
33120
43120
53120
63120
73120
83120
93120
103120
113120
123120
133121
143121
153121
163121
173121
183121
193121
203221
213221
223221
233221
243221
253221
263221
273221
283221
293221
303221
313221

Lephalale weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 21°8410.913.34.3
Feb31° / 21°597.612.84.6
Mar30° / 20°416.212.25.6
Apr28° / 16°213.311.57.6
May26° / 12°71.410.98.9
Jun23° / 40.810.69.3
Jul23° / 20.410.79.3
Aug26° / 11°10.411.29.1
Sep30° / 15°71.311.96.9
Oct31° / 18°233.712.65.3
Nov31° / 20°568.513.14.5
Dec31° / 21°7110.613.44.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35248
45248
55347
65248
75248
85347
95347
105545
115545
125644
135644
145842
155842
165842
176040
186040
196040
206040
215941
225941
235941
245842
255842
265842
275842
285842
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Lephalale gets around 71 mm of rain over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
332
432
533
633
734
834
935
1035
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1636
1735
1835
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2434
2534
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
128353170
227353170
326353270
425353270
524353370
623353480
722353580
821353680
920343690
1019343790
11183438100
12173438110
13163438110
14163439120
15153439120
16143439130
17143439130
18133439140
19133339140
20133339150
21133339150
22123339150
23123240160
24123240161
25123140161
26123041161
27133041161
28132942161
29132842161
30142842160
31142742160

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
112calm
212calm
312calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
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 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:18 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:186:39
213.45:186:40
313.45:186:41
413.45:186:41
513.45:196:42
613.45:196:43
713.45:196:43
813.45:196:44
913.45:196:45
1013.45:206:45
1113.45:206:46
1213.45:206:46
1313.45:216:47
1413.45:216:48
1513.45:216:48
1613.55:226:49
1713.55:226:49
1813.55:226:50
1913.55:236:50
2013.55:236:51
2113.55:246:51
2213.55:246:52
2313.55:256:52
2413.55:256:53
2513.55:266:53
2613.55:266:54
2713.55:276:54
2813.55:276:54
2913.45:286:55
3013.45:286:55
3113.45:296:55

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.03 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in October across the year — December's 6.57 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Lephalale?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Lephalale in December

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

In December, Lephalale sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Lephalale in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lephalale peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 6 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 16UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Lephalale 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 Lephalale is worst in September — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1416 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr12Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Lephalale?

Lephalale sits at 23.7°S, 27.7°E, 824 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Marapong, 12 km away.

Topography around Lephalale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Lephalale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 826 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 932 m.

The land around Lephalale is covered by shrubs (46%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, shrubs (65%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and shrubs (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
272 m
80 km
932 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Marapong 12 km · Vaalwater 79 km · Thabazimbi 108 km · Mahalapye 114 km · Modimolle 133 km · Amandelbult 136 km · Mookgophong 137 km · Palapye 140 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 Lephalale (-23.6661°, 27.7448°, elevation 824 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).