Mtubatuba weather in December

In December, Mtubatuba sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 85 mm of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 29°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Mtubatuba's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mtubatuba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
4th warmest
Overnight low
22°
9th coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:53 AM – 6:41 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Mtubatuba is small town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Founded
1903

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 27°C in the first days to 29°C by the end.

A typical December day in Mtubatuba reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12721
22721
32721
42721
52721
62721
72721
82721
92721
102821
112821
122821
132822
142822
152822
162822
172822
182822
192822
202822
212822
222822
232922
242922
252922
262922
272922
282922
292922
302922
312922

Mtubatuba weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°10312.913.65.2
Feb29° / 23°9811.5135.2
Mar29° / 22°10212.512.25.7
Apr27° / 20°7410.211.36.8
May25° / 18°506.810.67.8
Jun24° / 16°36610.28.3
Jul23° / 16°406.210.48.2
Aug24° / 17°345.9118.2
Sep25° / 18°487.711.87.5
Oct25° / 19°7110.712.76.7
Nov26° / 20°8711.713.46.1
Dec28° / 22°8511.213.85.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
43961
53961
64060
74060
84159
94060
104060
114258
124258
134258
144357
154357
164357
174456
184456
194456
204456
214456
224654
234654
244654
254654
264654
274753
284753
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Mtubatuba gets around 85 mm of rain over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
438
538
638
739
838
938
1038
1138
1237
1337
1436
1536
1635
1735
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2334
2435
2535
2636
2736
2837
2937
3038
3138

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 47% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 73% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1393142150
2293143150
3293043160
4283044160
5282945170
6272846170
7172747180
8162747180
9162648190
10162548200
11162449200
12152449210
13152349220
14152249230
15152149240
16052149250
17052049260
18051949270
19041849280
20041749291
21041748301
22041648311
23041547331
24041547341
25031547351
26031446351
27031446361
28031446371
29031346371
30031346381
31021346381

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min at the start of December to 13 h 48 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 4:51 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:516:31
213.74:516:32
313.74:516:33
413.74:516:34
513.74:516:34
613.74:516:35
713.74:516:36
813.74:516:36
913.84:526:37
1013.84:526:38
1113.84:526:38
1213.84:526:39
1313.84:536:40
1413.84:536:40
1513.84:536:41
1613.84:536:41
1713.84:546:42
1813.84:546:42
1913.84:556:43
2013.84:556:44
2113.84:556:44
2213.84:566:45
2313.84:566:45
2413.84:576:45
2513.84:576:46
2613.84:586:46
2713.84:596:47
2813.84:596:47
2913.85:006:47
3013.85:006:48
3113.85:016:48

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.98 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Mtubatuba

In seasonPeak

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

Mtubatuba 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 Mtubatuba?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Mtubatuba for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mtubatuba in December

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

In December, Mtubatuba sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Mtubatuba in December

The nearest coast averages about 25°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 30 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr26Warm
May25Warm
Jun24Refreshing
Jul23Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov24Warm
Dec25Warm

UV index in Mtubatuba 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 Mtubatuba peaks around February 10 at about 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeFeb 10UV 12Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mtubatuba 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 Mtubatuba is worst in July — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1424 µg/m³Jan 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar11Good
Apr18Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mtubatuba?

Mtubatuba sits at 28.4°S, 32.2°E, 66 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Richards Bay, 43 km away.

Topography around Mtubatuba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mtubatuba has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m around an average of 69 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,046 m.

The land around Mtubatuba is covered by trees (56%) and grassland (31%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and water (31%), trees (29%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
120 m
16 km
209 m
80 km
1,046 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Richards Bay 43 km · Empangeni 48 km · eSikhaleni 58 km · Ulundi 76 km · Eshowe 87 km · Mandeni 111 km · KwaDukuza 134 km · Ncotshane 134 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 Mtubatuba (-28.4179°, 32.1848°, elevation 66 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).