Mpophomeni weather in December

In December, Mpophomeni sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 149 mm of rain across 20.5 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mpophomeni's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpophomeni's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
9th coldest
Rainfall
149 mm
20.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
4:59 AM – 6:52 PM
Cloud cover
72%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Mpophomeni is human settlement in 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 24°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mpophomeni reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 31°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)
12414
22414
32414
42414
52414
62414
72414
82414
92414
102414
112514
122514
132515
142515
152515
162515
172515
182515
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242615
252615
262615
272615
282616
292616
302616
312616

Mpophomeni 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°15718.613.75.3
Feb26° / 16°13215.813.15.6
Mar25° / 15°11015.212.26.1
Apr23° / 12°6610.111.37.0
May21° / 305.410.57.7
Jun20° / 233.910.17.7
Jul20° / 29410.37.8
Aug21° / 366.510.97.5
Sep23° / 10°549.611.87.0
Oct23° / 12°10116.212.75.9
Nov24° / 13°12618.313.55.4
Dec25° / 15°14920.513.95.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
32971
42971
52971
62872
72872
82872
92872
102872
112971
122971
133070
143070
153169
163268
173367
183367
193268
203268
213367
223367
233268
243367
253367
263466
273367
283466
293466
303565
313565

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mpophomeni gets around 149 mm of rain over 20.5 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 65% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
266
366
467
567
667
768
868
968
1067
1167
1267
1366
1466
1565
1665
1765
1865
1964
2064
2164
2264
2364
2464
2564
2663
2763
2863
2963
3062
3162

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 45% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12646271
22546281
32446291
42246301
52146312
62046322
71946342
81845352
91745372
101644382
111543402
121442412
131441433
141340443
151339453
161238474
171137484
181136495
191035505
201034506
21932536
22931537
23830557
24829558
25728569
26728569
277275610
287265710
296265711
306255712
316255712

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of December to 13 h 54 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 4:56 AM to 5:06 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:566:42
213.84:566:43
313.84:566:43
413.84:566:44
513.84:566:45
613.84:566:46
713.84:576:46
813.84:576:47
913.84:576:48
1013.94:576:48
1113.94:576:49
1213.94:586:50
1313.94:586:50
1413.94:586:51
1513.94:586:51
1613.94:596:52
1713.94:596:53
1813.95:006:53
1913.95:006:54
2013.95:006:54
2113.95:016:55
2213.95:016:55
2313.95:026:56
2413.95:026:56
2513.95:036:57
2613.95:036:57
2713.95:046:57
2813.95:046:58
2913.95:056:58
3013.95:066:58
3113.95:066:59

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.65 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.35 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 5.65 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mpophomeni

In seasonPeak

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

Mpophomeni'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 Mpophomeni?

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
4.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mpophomeni for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mpophomeni in December

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

In December, Mpophomeni sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7High
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mpophomeni 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 Mpophomeni is worst in July — around 71 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.3× the cleanest month (December, 17 µg/m³).

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

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1769 µg/m³Dec 2317 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr37Poor
May51Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul71Unhealthy
Aug58Unhealthy
Sep49Poor
Oct28Moderate
Nov25Moderate
Dec17Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpophomeni?

Mpophomeni sits at 29.6°S, 30.2°E, 1,103 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Howick, 11 km away.

Topography around Mpophomeni

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpophomeni has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 356 m around an average of 1,154 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,101 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,371 m.

The land around Mpophomeni is covered by grassland (70%) within 3 km, grassland (46%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and trees (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
356 m
16 km
1,101 m
80 km
3,371 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Howick 11 km · Pietermaritzburg 21 km · Richmond 35 km · Mooi River 44 km · Mpumalanga 51 km · Greytown 69 km · Estcourt 69 km · Wembesi 70 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 Mpophomeni (-29.5682°, 30.1862°, elevation 1,103 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).