Mandeni weather in December

In December, Mandeni sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 88 mm of rain across 12.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 27°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Mandeni's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mandeni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
88 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
4:55 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
61%
11th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Mandeni is town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 27°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mandeni reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12521
22521
32521
42521
52521
62521
72521
82621
92621
102621
112621
122621
132621
142621
152621
162622
172622
182622
192622
202622
212622
222622
232722
242722
252722
262722
272722
282722
292722
302722
312722

Mandeni 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
Jan27° / 23°10213.113.76.1
Feb27° / 23°9112136.1
Mar27° / 22°9111.512.26.6
Apr25° / 20°8210.211.37.1
May24° / 18°587.110.68.0
Jun23° / 16°365.810.28.1
Jul22° / 15°547.110.37.8
Aug22° / 16°397.2117.7
Sep23° / 18°649.211.87.2
Oct24° / 19°9013.212.76.5
Nov25° / 20°9913.313.56.3
Dec26° / 21°8812.913.86.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34159
44258
54258
64258
74258
84357
94357
104456
114456
124456
134555
144555
154654
164654
174753
184753
194753
204753
214852
224951
234951
244852
254951
264951
275050
285149
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mandeni gets around 88 mm of rain over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1243
1343
1442
1542
1641
1741
1840
1940
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the muggy band about 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 70% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
121232459
221231469
321131469
4210314710
519314811
619314811
718304912
817305012
917295013
1016295014
1116285114
1206275215
1306275116
1405265217
1505255119
1605245120
1705235121
1805225122
1905215123
2004205125
2104195126
2204185127
2304175128
2404165030
2504164931
2604154932
2703154933
2803154833
2903144834
3003144735
3103144735

Wind in December

Winds average 19 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light 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 4:52 AM to 5:02 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:526:36
213.74:526:37
313.84:526:37
413.84:526:38
513.84:526:39
613.84:536:40
713.84:536:40
813.84:536:41
913.84:536:42
1013.84:536:42
1113.84:536:43
1213.84:546:44
1313.84:546:44
1413.84:546:45
1513.94:556:46
1613.94:556:46
1713.94:556:47
1813.94:566:47
1913.94:566:48
2013.94:566:48
2113.94:576:49
2213.94:576:49
2313.94:586:50
2413.94:586:50
2513.94:596:51
2613.94:596:51
2713.95:006:51
2813.95:006:52
2913.95:016:52
3013.85:026:52
3113.85:026:53

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mandeni

In seasonPeak

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

Mandeni sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Mandeni?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mandeni for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mandeni in December

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

In December, Mandeni sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 21°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Mandeni in December

The nearest coast averages about 24°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Refreshing

UV index in Mandeni 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 Mandeni peaks around January 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highVery highExtremeJan 19UV 12Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mandeni 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 Mandeni is worst in July — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.5× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1442 µg/m³Jan 198 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun40Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug35Poor
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mandeni?

Mandeni sits at 29.1°S, 31.4°E, 88 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is KwaDukuza, 24 km away.

Topography around Mandeni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mandeni has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 213 m around an average of 90 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 593 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,667 m.

The land around Mandeni is covered by trees (56%) within 3 km, grassland (37%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and trees (34%), water (26%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
213 m
16 km
593 m
80 km
1,667 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: KwaDukuza 24 km · Eshowe 29 km · Shakaskraal 39 km · Ballitoville 48 km · Tongaat 56 km · eSikhaleni 56 km · Empangeni 63 km · Richards Bay 73 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 Mandeni (-29.1469°, 31.414°, elevation 88 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).