Marikana weather in December

In December, Marikana sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 115 mm of rain across 15 wet days and about 13.6 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 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Marikana's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Marikana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
115 mm
15 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:18 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
55%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
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 Marikana reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12817
22817
32817
42817
52817
62817
72817
82817
92817
102817
112818
122818
132818
142818
152818
162818
172818
182918
192918
202918
212918
222918
232918
242918
252918
262918
272918
282918
292918
302918
312918

Marikana 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° / 19°9714.313.45.2
Feb29° / 18°8911.712.95.5
Mar27° / 17°7310.212.26.7
Apr25° / 13°365.611.47.9
May23° / 172.310.88.8
Jun20° / 71.210.48.5
Jul20° / 30.610.68.6
Aug23° / 61.311.19.1
Sep27° / 13°152.211.88.4
Oct28° / 15°537.312.66.7
Nov28° / 17°8211.713.35.8
Dec28° / 18°1151513.65.4

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 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25644
35644
45545
55644
65644
75644
85644
95743
105743
115842
125941
135941
145941
155941
166040
176040
186040
196040
206040
216040
226040
236040
245941
255941
265941
275941
286040
296139
306139
316238

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Marikana gets around 115 mm of rain over 15 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 47% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
246
347
447
548
648
749
849
949
1049
1149
1249
1348
1448
1548
1647
1747
1847
1947
2047
2147
2247
2347
2447
2547
2647
2747
2846
2946
3046
3146

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. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13441250
23341260
33142260
43043270
52843281
62744291
72644301
82544301
92444311
102344321
112244331
122144341
132044341
141944351
151944361
161844362
171744372
181743382
191643392
201542403
211541413
221440423
231439444
241338454
251337464
261336474
271335475
281334485
291334485
301333485
311433486

Wind in December

Winds average 8 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
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 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 5:15 AM to 5:26 AM, and sunset from 6:45 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:156:45
213.55:156:45
313.55:156:46
413.55:156:47
513.55:166:47
613.55:166:48
713.55:166:49
813.65:166:49
913.65:166:50
1013.65:176:51
1113.65:176:51
1213.65:176:52
1313.65:176:52
1413.65:186:53
1513.65:186:54
1613.65:186:54
1713.65:196:55
1813.65:196:55
1913.65:206:56
2013.65:206:56
2113.65:206:57
2213.65:216:57
2313.65:216:58
2413.65:226:58
2513.65:226:59
2613.65:236:59
2713.65:236:59
2813.65:247:00
2913.65:257:00
3013.65:257:00
3113.65:267:01

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.79 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.92 kWh/m² to a high of 6.79 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.79 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Marikana

In seasonPeak

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

Marikana'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 Marikana?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Marikana in December

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

In December, Marikana sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Marikana 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 Marikana peaks around January 10 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighHighVery highExtremeJan 10UV 14Jun 17UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Marikana 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 Marikana is worst in June — around 166 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.5× the cleanest month (January, 26 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 21166 µg/m³Jan 1126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb40Poor
Mar62Unhealthy
Apr103Unhealthy
May152Very unhealthy
Jun166Very unhealthy
Jul164Very unhealthy
Aug125Unhealthy
Sep93Unhealthy
Oct53Poor
Nov38Poor
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Marikana?

Marikana sits at 25.7°S, 27.5°E, 1,170 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Rustenburg, 24 km away.

Topography around Marikana

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Marikana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 99 m around an average of 1,160 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 575 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 917 m.

The land around Marikana is covered by grassland (59%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and shrubs (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
99 m
16 km
575 m
80 km
917 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Rustenburg 24 km · Hartbeestfontein-A 29 km · Brits 31 km · Hartbeespoort 40 km · Letlhabile 44 km · Bagale 44 km · Krugersdorp 52 km · Ga-Rankuwa 53 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 Marikana (-25.699°, 27.4748°, elevation 1,170 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).