Queenstown weather in December

In December, Queenstown sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 91 mm of rain across 13.8 wet days and about 14 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of December to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Queenstown's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Queenstown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
91 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
5:06 AM – 7:11 PM
Cloud cover
53%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.88 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Queenstown is city in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Density
1,663/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 28°C by the end.

A typical December day in Queenstown reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12713
22713
32713
42713
52713
62713
72713
82713
92713
102713
112713
122713
132814
142814
152814
162814
172814
182814
192814
202814
212814
222814
232814
242814
252814
262815
272815
282815
292815
302815
312815

Queenstown weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 15°10013.813.85.4
Feb28° / 15°9813.413.25.6
Mar27° / 14°7812.312.26.4
Apr24° / 11°477.711.27.5
May22° / 143.410.48.0
Jun19° / 122.4107.7
Jul19° / 132.310.17.8
Aug21° / 213.810.87.9
Sep24° / 335.411.88.0
Oct25° / 10°5510.112.87.0
Nov26° / 12°7211.813.66.4
Dec28° / 14°9113.8145.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55545
65446
75545
85545
95545
105644
115644
125644
135743
145743
155743
165842
175941
185941
195941
205941
215941
226040
236040
246040
256040
265941
275941
286040
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Queenstown gets around 91 mm of rain over 13.8 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 44% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
141
242
342
443
543
644
744
844
944
1044
1143
1243
1343
1443
1543
1643
1743
1843
1943
2044
2144
2244
2345
2445
2546
2646
2747
2847
2947
3047
3147

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 58% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1762130
2742240
3732340
4722440
5702550
6692650
7682750
8672850
9652960
10643060
11633160
12633160
13613270
14603370
15603370
16593380
17583480
18573490
195634100
205535100
215435110
225335120
235236120
245037130
254837140
264738151
274538161
284439161
294339171
304240181
314140181

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of December to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:04 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 7:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:047:00
213.95:047:01
314.05:047:02
414.05:047:03
514.05:047:03
614.05:047:04
714.05:047:05
814.05:057:06
914.05:057:06
1014.05:057:07
1114.05:057:08
1214.15:057:08
1314.15:067:09
1414.15:067:10
1514.15:067:10
1614.15:067:11
1714.15:077:11
1814.15:077:12
1914.15:087:13
2014.15:087:13
2114.15:087:14
2214.15:097:14
2314.15:097:15
2414.15:107:15
2514.15:107:15
2614.15:117:16
2714.15:117:16
2814.15:127:17
2914.15:137:17
3014.15:137:17
3114.15:147:17

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.88 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.12 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.88 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.8Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Queenstown

In seasonPeak

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

Queenstown'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 Queenstown?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Queenstown in December

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

In December, Queenstown sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Queenstown 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 Queenstown peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 14UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Queenstown 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 Queenstown is worst in August — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1916 µg/m³Dec 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Queenstown?

Queenstown sits at 31.9°S, 26.9°E, 1,081 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Queensdale, 10 km away.

Topography around Queenstown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Queenstown has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 m around an average of 1,113 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,112 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,877 m.

The land around Queenstown is covered by grassland (36%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and shrubs (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
407 m
16 km
1,112 m
80 km
1,877 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Queensdale 10 km · Whittlesea 31 km · Lady Frere 40 km · Cala 88 km · Stutterheim 91 km · Alice 99 km · Fort Beaufort 100 km · Dimbaza 109 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 Queenstown (-31.8976°, 26.8753°, elevation 1,081 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).