Piet Retief weather in December

In December, Piet Retief sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 155 mm of rain across 19.4 wet days and about 13.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 36 min at the start of December to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Piet Retief's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Piet Retief's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
155 mm
19.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 42 min
5:02 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Piet Retief is town.

Founded
1882

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 26°C through the month.

A typical December day in Piet Retief reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°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)
12514
22514
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132515
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232615
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292616
302616
312616

Piet Retief 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
Jan26° / 16°14418.213.55.5
Feb26° / 16°11613.9135.9
Mar25° / 14°10413.512.26.6
Apr23° / 12°487.711.47.5
May21° / 183.310.78.2
Jun20° / 112.210.38.1
Jul20° / 12210.58.1
Aug22° / 213.6118.3
Sep24° / 10°38711.87.8
Oct24° / 12°9613.412.66.5
Nov25° / 14°13116.913.35.6
Dec26° / 15°15519.413.75.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103763
113763
123763
133961
143961
154060
164060
174159
184159
194159
204258
214258
224258
234258
244258
254258
264357
274258
284357
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Piet Retief gets around 155 mm of rain over 19.4 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 62% and peaks near 64% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
161
262
362
463
563
663
763
864
964
1064
1163
1263
1363
1462
1562
1662
1762
1861
1962
2062
2162
2262
2362
2462
2562
2662
2762
2862
2962
3061
3161

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. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
12251270
22152270
32052280
41952290
51852300
61752310
71553320
81453330
91353340
101350361
111250371
121149391
131148401
141047421
151046431
16944451
17943462
18842482
19840492
20739513
21738523
22737533
23735544
24734554
25633574
26732565
27731575
28730585
29730585
30730585
31729595

Wind in December

Winds average 8 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 36 min at the start of December to 13 h 42 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 4:59 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.64:596:34
213.64:596:35
313.64:596:35
413.64:596:36
513.64:596:37
613.65:006:37
713.65:006:38
813.65:006:39
913.75:006:39
1013.75:006:40
1113.75:016:41
1213.75:016:41
1313.75:016:42
1413.75:016:43
1513.75:026:43
1613.75:026:44
1713.75:036:44
1813.75:036:45
1913.75:036:45
2013.75:046:46
2113.75:046:46
2213.75:056:47
2313.75:056:47
2413.75:066:48
2513.75:066:48
2613.75:076:49
2713.75:076:49
2813.75:086:49
2913.75:086:50
3013.75:096:50
3113.75:106:50

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.03 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.03 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
136.0Bright
146.0Bright
156.0Intense
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Piet Retief

In seasonPeak

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

Piet Retief'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 Piet Retief?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Piet Retief for sightseeing.

What to pack for Piet Retief in December

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

In December, Piet Retief sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 19 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Piet Retief 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 Piet Retief peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Piet Retief 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 Piet Retief is worst in May — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 19 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateMay 1754 µg/m³Dec 2319 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr38Poor
May56Unhealthy
Jun38Poor
Jul36Poor
Aug30Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Piet Retief?

Piet Retief sits at 27.0°S, 30.8°E, 1,251 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Driefontein, 38 km away.

Topography around Piet Retief

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Piet Retief has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m around an average of 1,272 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,004 m.

The land around Piet Retief is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, grassland (43%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
195 m
16 km
452 m
80 km
2,004 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
December weather nearby: Driefontein 38 km · Frischgewaagd 45 km · Fernie 69 km · Lobamba 71 km · Empuluzu 78 km · Manzini 80 km · Redhill 83 km · Mbabane 83 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 Piet Retief (-27.0071°, 30.8132°, elevation 1,251 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).