Port Alfred weather in December

In December, Port Alfred sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 58 mm of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 14.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Port Alfred's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Alfred's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
4th warmest
Overnight low
18°
9th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
9.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 12 min
5:02 AM – 7:15 PM
Cloud cover
55%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Port Alfred is place in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Founded
1821

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 24°C through the month.

A typical December day in Port Alfred reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52318
62318
72318
82318
92318
102418
112418
122418
132418
142418
152418
162418
172418
182418
192418
202419
212419
222419
232419
242419
252419
262419
272419
282519
292519
302519
312519

Port Alfred 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° / 20°538.2147.2
Feb26° / 20°568.613.26.9
Mar25° / 19°598.812.37.3
Apr23° / 17°547.911.27.4
May22° / 15°244.810.37.8
Jun21° / 13°274.39.87.8
Jul20° / 12°274.1107.7
Aug20° / 13°416.210.87.3
Sep20° / 14°42611.87.1
Oct21° / 15°518.412.86.8
Nov22° / 17°568.913.76.9
Dec24° / 18°589.414.27.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25347
35347
45347
55347
65347
75248
85248
95446
105446
115446
125545
135545
145644
155545
165644
175644
185743
195743
205743
215842
225842
235842
245842
255743
265743
275743
285644
295644
305644
315545

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Port Alfred gets around 58 mm of rain over 9.4 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 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1230
1330
1430
1530
1630
1730
1830
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831
2930
3030
3130

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1183435121
2173336121
3163337131
4153238141
5143139141
6133140151
7133040161
8122941161
9112941172
10112841182
11102742192
12102742202
13102642202
1492642212
1592542222
1682541232
1782441242
1882441252
1982441262
2072341272
2172341272
2272240282
2372140293
2462140303
2562040313
2662040313
2761940324
2861839334
2951839335
3051739335
3151739345

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 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light 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 14 h 06 min at the start of December to 14 h 12 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 5:00 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.15:007:04
214.15:007:05
314.15:007:06
414.15:007:07
514.15:007:07
614.15:007:08
714.15:007:09
814.25:007:10
914.25:007:10
1014.25:017:11
1114.25:017:12
1214.25:017:13
1314.25:017:13
1414.25:027:14
1514.25:027:15
1614.25:027:15
1714.25:027:16
1814.25:037:16
1914.25:037:17
2014.25:047:17
2114.25:047:18
2214.25:057:18
2314.25:057:19
2414.25:057:19
2514.25:067:20
2614.25:077:20
2714.25:077:20
2814.25:087:21
2914.25:087:21
3014.25:097:21
3114.25:107:22

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.48 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.48 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.5Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Port Alfred?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Port Alfred for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Port Alfred in December

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

In December, Port Alfred sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Port Alfred in December

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in September near 19°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 4 to Jun 16 — about 7.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swimcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May21Refreshing
Jun20Refreshing
Jul19Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep19Cool
Oct19Cool
Nov21Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Port Alfred 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 Port Alfred peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Port Alfred?

Port Alfred sits at 33.6°S, 26.9°E, 35 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Grahamstown, 45 km away.

Topography around Port Alfred

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Alfred has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 332 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.

The land around Port Alfred is covered by trees (39%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, water (41%), trees (33%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (31%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
128 m
16 km
332 m
80 km
906 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Grahamstown 45 km · Alice 89 km · Dimbaza 89 km · Qonce 92 km · Fort Beaufort 93 km · Ndevana 95 km · Bhisho 97 km · Mdantsane 110 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 Port Alfred (-33.586°, 26.8833°, elevation 35 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).