Mbombela weather in December

In December, Mbombela sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 152 mm of rain across 18.4 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Mbombela's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mbombela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
152 mm
18.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:05 AM – 6:40 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Mbombela is city in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Density
1,517/km²
people per km²
Founded
1905

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Mbombela reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 32°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)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82717
92717
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

Mbombela weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°15517.513.45.3
Feb27° / 18°13414.812.95.6
Mar27° / 17°1071412.26.2
Apr25° / 14°538.411.47.4
May24° / 11°193.510.88.7
Jun22° / 92.310.48.6
Jul21° / 122.610.68.4
Aug23° / 173.811.18.5
Sep25° / 12°346.611.87.8
Oct25° / 14°7113.312.66.4
Nov26° / 16°12216.313.25.5
Dec27° / 17°15218.413.65.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53763
63763
73664
83664
93763
103763
113763
123763
133763
143961
153961
163961
174159
184159
194258
204258
214258
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274456
284456
294555
304555
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mbombela gets around 152 mm of rain over 18.4 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 59% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
258
358
458
559
659
759
860
960
1060
1161
1261
1361
1461
1561
1661
1761
1860
1960
2060
2160
2260
2359
2459
2559
2658
2757
2856
2956
3055
3154

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 32% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
182449190
272450190
372351190
462352190
562253190
652253200
752154200
842055210
942054220
1031955230
1131954240
1231854250
1321854260
1421753280
1521653290
1621651310
1721551320
1811451340
1911449360
2011348380
2111247391
2211246411
2311145421
2411144441
2511043451
2611043461
2711042471
2811041471
2911041471
3011041471
3111041471

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 5:02 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:026:30
213.55:026:31
313.55:026:31
413.55:026:32
513.55:026:33
613.55:026:34
713.55:026:34
813.55:036:35
913.55:036:35
1013.65:036:36
1113.65:036:37
1213.65:046:37
1313.65:046:38
1413.65:046:39
1513.65:056:39
1613.65:056:40
1713.65:056:40
1813.65:066:41
1913.65:066:41
2013.65:066:42
2113.65:076:42
2213.65:076:43
2313.65:086:43
2413.65:086:44
2513.65:096:44
2613.65:096:45
2713.65:106:45
2813.65:116:45
2913.65:116:46
3013.65:126:46
3113.65:126:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.71 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mbombela

In seasonPeak

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

Mbombela'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 Mbombela?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mbombela for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mbombela in December

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

In December, Mbombela sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mbombela 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 Mbombela peaks around December 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeDec 22UV 13Jun 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mbombela 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 Mbombela is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1850 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun37Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug43Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mbombela?

Mbombela sits at 25.5°S, 31.0°E, 658 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is White River, 16 km away.

Topography around Mbombela

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mbombela has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 709 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 895 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,053 m.

The land around Mbombela is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (45%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
895 m
80 km
2,053 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: White River 16 km · Tekwane 18 km · Barberton 36 km · Matsulu 39 km · Sabie 46 km · Schoemansdal 60 km · Mkhuhlu 61 km · Hlanganani 61 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 Mbombela (-25.4751°, 30.9693°, elevation 658 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).