Mpumalanga weather in December

In December, Mpumalanga sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 102 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 1st-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 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

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 Mpumalanga's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpumalanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
102 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
4:56 AM – 6:51 PM
Cloud cover
71%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Mpumalanga is township 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 Mpumalanga reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12517
22517
32518
42518
52518
62518
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172619
182619
192619
202619
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Mpumalanga weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°10115.613.75.6
Feb28° / 20°8713.113.15.7
Mar27° / 19°8712.712.26.2
Apr26° / 16°609.111.37.1
May25° / 13°33510.58.2
Jun23° / 11°223.910.18.5
Jul23° / 10°343.910.38.4
Aug23° / 12°305.610.98.1
Sep24° / 14°58911.87.2
Oct24° / 15°8813.812.76.3
Nov25° / 17°10114.813.55.8
Dec26° / 18°10215.613.95.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22872
32872
42872
52971
62971
72971
82971
92872
102971
112971
122971
132971
143169
153169
163169
173169
183268
193268
203268
213268
223367
233268
243268
253268
263367
273268
283268
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mpumalanga gets around 102 mm of rain over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
153
254
354
454
554
654
754
854
953
1053
1152
1251
1350
1450
1549
1648
1748
1848
1947
2047
2147
2247
2347
2447
2548
2648
2749
2849
2949
3049
3149

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 41% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 48% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
162243272
262143282
352044292
452044293
541944313
641843323
731743333
831743343
931643353
1021542374
1121441384
1221441394
1321340404
1421339425
1521238435
1621237436
1721137446
1821136457
1911035467
2011035468
211934479
221933489
2319324810
2418314911
2518304911
2618305012
2717295112
2817285113
2917285113
3017275114
3117275114

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

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 4:54 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.84:546:41
213.84:546:41
313.84:546:42
413.84:546:43
513.84:546:44
613.84:546:44
713.84:546:45
813.94:546:46
913.94:556:46
1013.94:556:47
1113.94:556:48
1213.94:556:48
1313.94:556:49
1413.94:566:50
1513.94:566:50
1613.94:566:51
1713.94:576:51
1813.94:576:52
1913.94:586:52
2013.94:586:53
2113.94:586:53
2213.94:596:54
2313.94:596:54
2413.95:006:55
2513.95:006:55
2613.95:016:56
2713.95:016:56
2813.95:026:56
2913.95:036:57
3013.95:036:57
3113.95:046:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.48 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mpumalanga

In seasonPeak

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

Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mpumalanga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mpumalanga in December

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

In December, Mpumalanga sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Mpumalanga 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 42 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
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga peaks around January 16 at about 13 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr5High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga is worst in July — around 148 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11147 µg/m³Jan 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar50Poor
Apr77Unhealthy
May126Unhealthy
Jun144Unhealthy
Jul148Unhealthy
Aug116Unhealthy
Sep88Unhealthy
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov41Poor
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpumalanga?

Mpumalanga sits at 29.8°S, 30.6°E, 711 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Pinetown, 24 km away.

Topography around Mpumalanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpumalanga has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 607 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 701 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,041 m.

The land around Mpumalanga is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), grassland (29%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), grassland (29%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
701 m
80 km
2,041 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Pinetown 24 km · Folweni 26 km · Ntuzuma 31 km · Pietermaritzburg 32 km · Richmond 36 km · Durban 38 km · eMkhomazi 46 km · Mpophomeni 51 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 Mpumalanga (-29.8129°, 30.6365°, elevation 711 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).