Mthatha weather in December

In December, Mthatha sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 140 mm of rain across 18.5 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of December to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mthatha's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mthatha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
4th warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
140 mm
18.5 wet days
Daylight
14 hours
5:00 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
71%
12th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Mthatha is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,999/km²
people per km²
Founded
1876

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 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mthatha reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°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 30°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12313
22313
32313
42313
52413
62414
72414
82414
92414
102414
112414
122414
132414
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192515
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

Mthatha weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 16°14518.813.85.3
Feb26° / 16°13115.913.25.5
Mar25° / 15°12016.212.26.0
Apr23° / 12°769.911.26.9
May22° / 27510.47.8
Jun20° / 243.3107.9
Jul20° / 223.210.17.9
Aug21° / 325.510.87.7
Sep23° / 10°568.411.87.1
Oct23° / 11°9614.912.86.0
Nov23° / 13°12916.413.65.7
Dec24° / 14°14018.5145.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 68%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43070
53070
63070
73169
83070
93070
103169
113268
123268
133268
143268
153367
163367
173367
183367
193466
203466
213367
223466
233466
243367
253367
263367
273367
283367
293466
303466
313466

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mthatha gets around 140 mm of rain over 18.5 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 60% and peaks near 61% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
157
258
358
458
559
659
759
859
959
1059
1159
1259
1359
1459
1559
1660
1760
1860
1960
2060
2160
2260
2360
2461
2561
2661
2761
2861
2961
3060
3160

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 38% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13143242
23043242
32943252
42844263
52744263
62644273
72544283
82544293
92443303
102343303
112342313
122242324
132141344
142140354
152040364
161939375
171838385
181837405
191737416
201636427
211535437
221534438
231433449
2413334510
2512324510
2612314611
2711314612
2811304613
2910304614
3010294615
3110294615

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 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
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 54 min at the start of December to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 4:57 AM to 5:07 AM, and sunset from 6:52 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.94:576:52
213.94:576:53
313.94:576:54
414.04:576:54
514.04:576:55
614.04:576:56
714.04:586:57
814.04:586:57
914.04:586:58
1014.04:586:59
1114.04:586:59
1214.04:587:00
1314.04:597:01
1414.04:597:01
1514.04:597:02
1614.05:007:02
1714.15:007:03
1814.15:007:04
1914.15:017:04
2014.15:017:05
2114.15:027:05
2214.15:027:06
2314.15:027:06
2414.15:037:07
2514.15:037:07
2614.15:047:07
2714.15:057:08
2814.05:057:08
2914.05:067:08
3014.05:067:09
3114.05:077:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.68 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.14 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 5.68 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
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mthatha

In seasonPeak

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

Mthatha's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Mthatha?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mthatha for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mthatha in December

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

In December, Mthatha sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Mthatha 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 64 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 Mthatha 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 Mthatha peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mthatha 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 Mthatha is worst in August — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1633 µg/m³Dec 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug34Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mthatha?

Mthatha sits at 31.6°S, 28.8°E, 694 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ugie, 68 km away.

Qacha’s Nek

Topography around Mthatha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mthatha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m around an average of 706 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,012 m.

The land around Mthatha is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and grassland (35%) within 3 km, grassland (55%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
164 m
16 km
688 m
80 km
2,012 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Ugie 68 km · Khowa 93 km · Butterworth 102 km · Tlokoeng 103 km · Cala 103 km · Kokstad 131 km · Lady Frere 147 km · Qacha’s Nek 164 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 Mthatha (-31.5889°, 28.7844°, elevation 694 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. 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).