Upington weather in December

In December, Upington sees average daytime highs of 35°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 27 mm of rain across 3.9 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Upington's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Upington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
20°
10th coldest
Rainfall
27 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:37 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
22%
6th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
8.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Upington is town in South Africa.

Density
123/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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 35°C through the month.

A typical December day in Upington reaches about 35°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 39°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13419
23419
33419
43419
53419
63420
73420
83420
93420
103420
113420
123420
133520
143520
153520
163520
173520
183520
193520
203521
213521
223521
233521
243521
253521
263521
273521
283521
293521
303521
313521

How December really feels in Upington

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 31 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in December is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Upington weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 22°355.413.62.9
Feb35° / 22°316.4133.2
Mar33° / 20°365.512.24.5
Apr28° / 15°253.611.37.4
May24° / 10°121.810.68.9
Jun21° / 50.810.28.6
Jul21° / 40.910.48.7
Aug23° / 30.6119.2
Sep27° / 11°50.911.88.6
Oct30° / 15°142.312.76.4
Nov32° / 18°132.413.44.9
Dec35° / 20°273.913.83.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18713
28713
38812
48812
58812
68812
78911
88911
98911
108911
119010
129010
139010
149010
159010
169010
179010
189010
199010
209010
219010
229010
239010
249010
258911
268911
278911
288911
298911
309010
319010

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Upington gets around 27 mm of rain over 3.9 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 12% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
212
312
413
513
613
713
813
913
1013
1113
1213
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2212
2312
2412
2512
2612
2712
2812
2912
3013
3113

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
191441
291540
390550
490550
589650
689650
789650
889650
988750
1088750
1188750
1288750
1387751
1487751
1587751
1687751
1786752
1886752
1986752
2085753
2185753
2285753
2385744
2485744
2585744
2683755
2783755
2883755
2981766
3081766
3181766

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

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 5:34 AM to 5:45 AM, and sunset from 7:15 PM to 7:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:347:15
213.75:347:16
313.75:347:17
413.75:347:17
513.75:357:18
613.75:357:19
713.75:357:19
813.85:357:20
913.85:357:21
1013.85:357:21
1113.85:367:22
1213.85:367:23
1313.85:367:23
1413.85:367:24
1513.85:377:25
1613.85:377:25
1713.85:377:26
1813.85:387:26
1913.85:387:27
2013.85:397:27
2113.85:397:28
2213.85:407:28
2313.85:407:29
2413.85:417:29
2513.85:417:30
2613.85:427:30
2713.85:427:30
2813.85:437:31
2913.85:437:31
3013.85:447:31
3113.85:457:32

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 8.6 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.65 kWh/m² to a high of 8.6 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 8.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.5Intense
28.5Intense
38.5Intense
48.5Intense
58.5Intense
68.6Intense
78.6Intense
88.6Intense
98.6Intense
108.6Intense
118.6Intense
128.6Intense
138.6Intense
148.6Intense
158.6Intense
168.7Intense
178.7Intense
188.7Intense
198.7Intense
208.7Intense
218.6Intense
228.6Intense
238.6Intense
248.6Intense
258.6Intense
268.6Intense
278.6Intense
288.6Intense
298.6Intense
308.5Intense
318.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Upington?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Upington. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Upington in December

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

In December, Upington sees daytime highs around 35°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Upington in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Upington peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 4 (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 19UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug6High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Upington?

Upington sits at 28.4°S, 21.3°E, 808 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Postmasburg, 177 km away.

PostmasburgTsabongKimberleyPampierstadWarrentonDe AarKeetmanshoopVryburg

Topography around Upington

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Upington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 60 m around an average of 804 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 232 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 584 m.

The land around Upington is covered by artificial surfaces (27%), shrubs (26%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) and shrubs (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (49%) and shrubs (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
60 m
16 km
232 m
80 km
584 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Postmasburg 177 km · Tsabong 292 km · Kimberley 344 km · Pampierstad 345 km · Warrenton 354 km · De Aar 362 km · Keetmanshoop 372 km · Vryburg 380 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 Upington (-28.4478°, 21.2561°, elevation 808 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).