Winnie Mandela weather in December

In December, Winnie Mandela sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 92 mm of rain across 12.4 wet days and about 13.8 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 Winnie Mandela's 12th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Winnie Mandela's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
12.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
5:16 AM – 7:05 PM
Cloud cover
43%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
7.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Winnie Mandela is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1875

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 30°C through the month.

A typical December day in Winnie Mandela reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 1°C warmer than November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12915
22915
32915
42915
52915
62915
72915
82915
92915
102916
113016
123016
133016
143016
153016
163016
173016
183016
193016
203016
213016
223016
233017
243017
253017
263017
273017
283017
293017
303017
313017

How December really feels in Winnie Mandela

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Winnie Mandela weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 17°10213.513.64.9
Feb29° / 17°8411.9135.4
Mar27° / 15°8211.112.26.6
Apr24° / 10°537.711.37.6
May21° / 233.410.68.1
Jun18° / 131.810.27.7
Jul18° / 81.310.47.9
Aug21° / 182.7118.3
Sep25° / 162.811.88.6
Oct27° / 12°527.612.77.3
Nov28° / 14°76913.46.2
Dec30° / 16°9212.413.85.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47129
57129
67129
77030
87129
97129
107228
117228
127327
137327
147426
157525
167525
177525
187525
197624
207624
217624
227624
237624
247624
257624
267624
277723
287624
297624
307624
317624

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Winnie Mandela gets around 92 mm of rain over 12.4 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
237
337
438
539
639
739
840
940
1040
1140
1240
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

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 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
179183
279192
378202
477212
576222
675232
774242
873252
973252
1072262
1172262
1271272
1370273
1470273
1569274
1668284
1767285
1867285
1966286
2065287
2164297
2263298
2362299
2461309
25603010
26593110
27583111
28573211
29563212
30563212
31563212

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3112light 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 5:13 AM to 5:23 AM, and sunset from 6:55 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.75:136:55
213.75:136:56
313.75:136:56
413.75:136:57
513.75:136:58
613.85:136:58
713.85:136:59
813.85:147:00
913.85:147:01
1013.85:147:01
1113.85:147:02
1213.85:157:03
1313.85:157:03
1413.85:157:04
1513.85:157:04
1613.85:167:05
1713.85:167:05
1813.85:167:06
1913.85:177:07
2013.85:177:07
2113.85:187:08
2213.85:187:08
2313.85:197:09
2413.85:197:09
2513.85:207:09
2613.85:207:10
2713.85:217:10
2813.85:217:11
2913.85:227:11
3013.85:237:11
3113.85:237:11

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.63 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.63 kWh/m² to a high of 7.63 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.63 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.6Intense
27.6Intense
37.6Intense
47.6Intense
57.6Intense
67.6Intense
77.6Intense
87.6Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.6Intense
127.7Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.7Intense
187.7Intense
197.7Intense
207.7Intense
217.7Intense
227.7Intense
237.7Intense
247.7Intense
257.7Intense
267.7Intense
277.7Intense
287.6Intense
297.6Intense
307.6Intense
317.6Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Winnie Mandela

In seasonPeak

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

Winnie Mandela'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 Winnie Mandela?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Winnie Mandela in December

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

In December, Winnie Mandela sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Winnie Mandela 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 Winnie Mandela peaks around January 13 at about 15 (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 13UV 15Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Winnie Mandela 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 Winnie Mandela is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1917 µg/m³Dec 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr12Good
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Winnie Mandela?

Winnie Mandela sits at 28.7°S, 26.5°E, 1,402 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Theunissen, 40 km away.

Topography around Winnie Mandela

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Winnie Mandela has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 102 m around an average of 1,396 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 278 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 897 m.

The land around Winnie Mandela is covered by grassland (59%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (79%) within 16 km, and grassland (71%) and cropland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
102 m
16 km
278 m
80 km
897 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Theunissen 40 km · Bloemfontein 52 km · Bultfontein 55 km · Winburg 57 km · Thaba Nchu 68 km · Botshabelo 68 km · Virginia 77 km · Welkom 85 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 Winnie Mandela (-28.7003°, 26.4581°, elevation 1,402 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).