Ulundi weather in December

In December, Ulundi sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 86 mm of rain across 13.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 30°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Ulundi's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ulundi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
4th warmest
Overnight low
19°
9th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
4:57 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
69%
11th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Ulundi is town in the Zululand District Municipality, and at one time the capital of Zululand in South Africa.

Density
3,096/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 28°C in the first days to 30°C by the end.

A typical December day in Ulundi reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12818
22818
32818
42818
52818
62818
72818
82818
92818
102818
112818
122818
132919
142919
152919
162919
172919
182919
192919
202919
212919
222919
232919
243019
253019
263019
273019
283019
293020
303020
313020

Ulundi 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
Jan30° / 20°8613.513.64.6
Feb30° / 20°7510.9134.8
Mar29° / 19°7210.512.25.5
Apr27° / 16°426.811.37.2
May26° / 13°193.310.68.4
Jun24° / 10°122.210.29.0
Jul24° / 10°172.510.48.9
Aug25° / 12°194.1118.4
Sep26° / 14°356.311.87.4
Oct26° / 16°6710.912.76.5
Nov27° / 17°861313.45.8
Dec29° / 19°8613.913.85.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23367
33268
43268
53268
63268
73268
83268
93169
103169
113268
123367
133367
143367
153565
163565
173664
183763
193763
203862
213862
223862
233862
243862
253961
263961
274060
283961
293961
304060
314060

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ulundi gets around 86 mm of rain over 13.9 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 (%)
144
245
345
446
547
647
747
847
947
1047
1147
1246
1346
1446
1545
1645
1744
1844
1943
2043
2143
2242
2342
2442
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 34% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
192940210
282941220
382842220
472742230
562743230
662644240
752545250
852445250
942346260
1042346270
1132246281
1232146291
1332046291
1432046301
1521946311
1621846322
1721746332
1821646342
1921546353
2021445363
2121445363
2221345374
2321244384
2421244394
2521243394
2621242405
2721142405
2821141415
2921141415
3021140415
3121239426

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

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
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 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 4:54 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.74:546:34
213.74:546:35
313.74:546:36
413.74:546:36
513.74:546:37
613.74:546:38
713.74:546:39
813.74:556:39
913.84:556:40
1013.84:556:41
1113.84:556:41
1213.84:556:42
1313.84:566:42
1413.84:566:43
1513.84:566:44
1613.84:576:44
1713.84:576:45
1813.84:576:45
1913.84:586:46
2013.84:586:46
2113.84:596:47
2213.84:596:47
2313.85:006:48
2413.85:006:48
2513.85:016:49
2613.85:016:49
2713.85:026:50
2813.85:026:50
2913.85:036:50
3013.85:046:51
3113.85:046:51

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.34 kWh/m² to a high of 5.71 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ulundi?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
6.2
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Ulundi in December

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

In December, Ulundi sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ulundi 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 Ulundi peaks around February 9 at about 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeFeb 9UV 12Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Ulundi 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 Ulundi is worst in July — around 40 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.3× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateJul 1639 µg/m³Jan 1610 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun35Moderate
Jul40Poor
Aug33Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ulundi?

Ulundi sits at 28.3°S, 31.4°E, 484 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Eshowe, 62 km away.

Topography around Ulundi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ulundi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 170 m around an average of 477 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 874 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m.

The land around Ulundi is covered by trees (33%) and shrubs (29%) within 3 km, shrubs (38%), trees (30%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and trees (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
170 m
16 km
874 m
80 km
1,775 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Eshowe 62 km · Empangeni 67 km · Mtubatuba 76 km · eSikhaleni 76 km · Richards Bay 79 km · Mondlo 79 km · Vryheid 88 km · Mandeni 90 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 Ulundi (-28.3352°, 31.4162°, elevation 484 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).