Nkowakowa weather in December

In December, Nkowakowa sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 156 mm of rain across 17.9 wet days and about 13.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Nkowakowa's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Nkowakowa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
156 mm
17.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 30 min
5:11 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
62%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Nkowakowa 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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in Nkowakowa reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52718
62718
72718
82718
92718
102718
112718
122718
132718
142718
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232719
242719
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302719
312719

Nkowakowa weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 19°14816.413.35.6
Feb27° / 19°12613.212.85.9
Mar27° / 18°851212.26.5
Apr25° / 15°47811.57.5
May24° / 11°193.810.98.7
Jun22° / 102.310.68.6
Jul21° / 122.510.78.5
Aug23° / 10°163.211.28.6
Sep25° / 13°336.111.98.0
Oct26° / 15°6310.912.66.8
Nov26° / 17°12415.213.25.8
Dec27° / 18°15617.913.45.4

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 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34159
44060
54060
64159
74159
84258
94159
104258
114357
124456
134456
144555
154654
164753
174753
184951
194951
205050
214951
225050
235050
245050
255149
265149
275248
285248
295248
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Nkowakowa gets around 156 mm of rain over 17.9 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 57% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
156
256
357
457
558
658
759
859
959
1060
1160
1260
1360
1459
1559
1659
1758
1858
1957
2057
2157
2257
2356
2456
2556
2656
2756
2856
2955
3055
3155

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 44% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 35% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
182841230
282841240
372742240
472643250
562543250
662444260
752344270
852345280
942245290
1032145300
1132146300
1222046310
1322046320
1421946330
1511846341
1611746351
1711746361
1811645371
1911645371
2011545381
2111444391
2211444402
2311343412
2411343422
2511243422
2611242432
2711242432
2811242432
2911242432
3011242432
3111242432

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of December to 13 h 30 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 5:08 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:086:30
213.45:086:30
313.45:086:31
413.45:086:32
513.45:086:32
613.45:086:33
713.45:086:34
813.45:096:34
913.45:096:35
1013.45:096:36
1113.45:096:36
1213.55:106:37
1313.55:106:37
1413.55:106:38
1513.55:116:38
1613.55:116:39
1713.55:116:40
1813.55:126:40
1913.55:126:41
2013.55:136:41
2113.55:136:42
2213.55:146:42
2313.55:146:43
2413.55:156:43
2513.55:156:43
2613.55:166:44
2713.55:166:44
2813.55:176:45
2913.55:176:45
3013.55:186:45
3113.55:186:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.83 kWh/m² to a high of 6.08 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.99 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.8Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Nkowakowa

In seasonPeak

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

Nkowakowa's rainy season runs November–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 Nkowakowa?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Nkowakowa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Nkowakowa in December

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

In December, Nkowakowa sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Nkowakowa 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 Nkowakowa peaks around January 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 20UV 14Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Nkowakowa 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 Nkowakowa is worst in July — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1826 µg/m³Jan 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr17Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug24Moderate
Sep23Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Nkowakowa?

Nkowakowa sits at 23.9°S, 30.3°E, 584 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tzaneen, 14 km away.

Topography around Nkowakowa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Nkowakowa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 122 m around an average of 553 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 734 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,790 m.

The land around Nkowakowa is covered by artificial surfaces (33%) and trees (20%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and shrubs (54%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
122 m
16 km
734 m
80 km
1,790 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Tzaneen 14 km · Duiwelskloof 26 km · Mankweng 59 km · Praktiseer 77 km · Giyani 79 km · Polokwane 83 km · Phalaborwa 87 km · Lebowakgomo 93 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 Nkowakowa (-23.8878°, 30.2871°, elevation 584 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).