Middelburg weather in December

In December, Middelburg sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 115 mm of rain across 16.6 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 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 Middelburg's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Middelburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
115 mm
16.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:10 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Middelburg is town in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Founded
1864

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Middelburg reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122615
132615
142615
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Middelburg 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
Jan26° / 16°12215.613.45.9
Feb26° / 16°9111.912.96.3
Mar25° / 15°8611.212.26.9
Apr23° / 12°406.111.47.8
May21° / 152.510.88.4
Jun19° / 51.110.48.2
Jul19° / 60.810.68.3
Aug22° / 91.511.18.7
Sep25° / 11°183.411.88.6
Oct26° / 13°6810.412.67.0
Nov25° / 14°10214.313.36.1
Dec26° / 16°11516.613.65.7

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 26% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24852
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84951
94951
104951
115050
125050
135050
145050
155149
165149
175248
185248
195248
205248
215248
225248
235248
245248
255347
265347
275446
285644
295644
305743
315842

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Middelburg gets around 115 mm of rain over 16.6 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 53% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
152
253
353
454
554
655
755
855
955
1055
1155
1255
1355
1455
1554
1654
1753
1853
1953
2052
2152
2252
2353
2453
2553
2653
2753
2853
2952
3052
3152

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 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
142526
241536
339556
438557
537567
636577
735578
834579
932599
10315910
11305911
12296011
13286012
14276013
15266014
16256015
17256015
18246016
19235918
20225919
21215920
22205921
23205822
24195823
25195724
26185725
27185725
28185626
29185626
30195427
31195427

Wind in December

Winds average 9 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 5:07 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:076:37
213.55:076:37
313.55:076:38
413.55:076:39
513.55:076:39
613.55:086:40
713.65:086:41
813.65:086:41
913.65:086:42
1013.65:086:43
1113.65:096:43
1213.65:096:44
1313.65:096:45
1413.65:106:45
1513.65:106:46
1613.65:106:46
1713.65:116:47
1813.65:116:47
1913.65:116:48
2013.65:126:48
2113.65:126:49
2213.65:136:49
2313.65:136:50
2413.65:146:50
2513.65:146:51
2613.65:156:51
2713.65:156:52
2813.65:166:52
2913.65:166:52
3013.65:176:53
3113.65:186:53

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.6 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
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
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
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

Hazard calendar for Middelburg

In seasonPeak

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

Middelburg'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 Middelburg?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Middelburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Middelburg in December

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

In December, Middelburg sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Middelburg 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 Middelburg peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 18UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Middelburg 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 Middelburg is worst in July — around 74 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 5.1× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1473 µg/m³Dec 2315 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr41Poor
May59Unhealthy
Jun66Unhealthy
Jul74Unhealthy
Aug59Unhealthy
Sep48Poor
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Middelburg?

Middelburg sits at 25.8°S, 29.5°E, 1,479 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Emalahleni, 26 km away.

Topography around Middelburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Middelburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 1,478 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 343 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,404 m.

The land around Middelburg is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and grassland (34%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) and cropland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
109 m
16 km
343 m
80 km
1,404 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Emalahleni 26 km · Hendrina 49 km · Phola 50 km · Thubelihle 52 km · Verena 55 km · Kriel 57 km · Belfast 58 km · Kwaggafontein 72 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 Middelburg (-25.7751°, 29.4648°, elevation 1,479 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).