White River weather in December

In December, White River sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 182 mm of rain across 19.7 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is White River's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see White River's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
18°
10th coldest
Rainfall
182 mm
19.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:05 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

White River is place in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical December day in White River reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12617
22617
32617
42617
52617
62617
72617
82617
92617
102617
112717
122717
132717
142717
152718
162718
172718
182718
192718
202718
212718
222718
232718
242718
252718
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312718

White River weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 18°18618.513.45.2
Feb27° / 18°16015.812.95.5
Mar26° / 17°12615.212.26.0
Apr25° / 14°699.911.47.2
May23° / 11°244.810.88.5
Jun22° / 13310.58.5
Jul21° / 183.810.68.3
Aug23° / 10°245.111.18.3
Sep25° / 12°457.311.87.7
Oct25° / 14°8614.312.66.3
Nov26° / 16°14717.113.25.4
Dec27° / 18°18219.713.55.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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
63565
73664
83664
93664
103763
113763
123763
133862
144060
154060
164060
174258
184258
194258
204357
214357
224357
234456
244357
254357
264456
274456
284555
294654
304555
314654

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

White River gets around 182 mm of rain over 19.7 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 63% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
161
261
362
462
562
663
763
864
964
1064
1165
1265
1365
1465
1565
1665
1764
1864
1964
2064
2164
2263
2363
2463
2563
2662
2762
2861
2961
3060
3159

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 49% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 31% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
182550180
272451180
372450190
462352190
562351200
652253200
752252210
842153220
942152230
1032053240
1132053240
1231953250
1321953260
1421852280
1521752290
1621652300
1721651310
1811551330
1911451340
2011349360
2111349371
2211248381
2311247401
2411147411
2511146421
2611145431
2711144441
2811044441
2911143451
3011143451
3111143451

Wind in December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of December to 13 h 36 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 5:02 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 6:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:026:30
213.55:026:30
313.55:026:31
413.55:026:32
513.55:026:32
613.55:026:33
713.55:036:34
813.55:036:34
913.55:036:35
1013.55:036:36
1113.55:036:36
1213.65:046:37
1313.65:046:37
1413.65:046:38
1513.65:056:39
1613.65:056:39
1713.65:056:40
1813.65:066:40
1913.65:066:41
2013.65:076:41
2113.65:076:42
2213.65:086:42
2313.65:086:43
2413.65:096:43
2513.65:096:44
2613.65:106:44
2713.65:106:44
2813.65:116:45
2913.65:116:45
3013.65:126:46
3113.65:126:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 5.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for White River

In seasonPeak

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

White River's monsoon runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Monsoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit White River?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit White River for sightseeing.

What to pack for White River in December

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

In December, White River sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in White River 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 White River peaks around January 24 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 24UV 13Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in White River 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 White River is worst in July — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateJul 1850 µg/m³Dec 2014 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar24Moderate
Apr26Moderate
May34Moderate
Jun37Poor
Jul52Poor
Aug43Poor
Sep34Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov30Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is White River?

White River sits at 25.3°S, 31.0°E, 944 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mbombela, 16 km away.

Topography around White River

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around White River has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 m around an average of 917 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 764 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,070 m.

The land around White River is covered by grassland (39%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and grassland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and trees (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
157 m
16 km
764 m
80 km
2,070 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Mbombela 16 km · Tekwane 21 km · Sabie 35 km · Matsulu 41 km · Hlanganani 44 km · Mkhuhlu 45 km · Calcutta 45 km · Barberton 51 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 White River (-25.3318°, 31.0117°, elevation 944 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).