Climate averages 1991–2020
Bethlehem, South Africa weather
in December.
A warm, wet month: the 2nd warmest and the wettest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a warm month in Bethlehem, South Africa: daytime highs average 25.3°C and nights cool to about 13.5°C. By daytime temperature it is the 2nd warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 147 mm of rain on roughly 17 days, which makes December a wet month (the wettest month of the year). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 13 h 54 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Phuthaditjhaba (60 km away). In December its highs average 23.9°C, 1.4°C cooler than Bethlehem, South Africa, with 168 mm of rain.
Among the 95 cities listed in South Africa, Bethlehem, South Africa ranks joint 64th of 95 for the warmest December highs and joint 83rd of 95 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 95 cities is 26.6°C; Bethlehem, South Africa is 1.3°C cooler than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 0.2°C to 25.5°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 147 mm to 143 mm.
The annual picture
December in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Bethlehem, South Africa climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25.5°C14.3°C | 14.3°C | 143 | 16.5 | 13.714 h |
| February | 25.0°C14.1°C | 14.1°C | 97 | 13.4 | 13.113 h |
| March | 23.6°C12.5°C | 12.5°C | 89 | 12.2 | 12.312 h |
| April | 20.9°C9.3°C | 9.3°C | 53 | 7.6 | 11.411 h |
| May | 18.2°C5.3°C | 5.3°C | 25 | 3.4 | 10.711 h |
| June | 15.5°C2.1°C | 2.1°C | 13 | 2.1 | 10.410 h |
| July | 15.6°C1.4°C | 1.4°C | 7.6 | 1.3 | 10.511 h |
| August | 18.7°C3.9°C | 3.9°C | 21 | 3.3 | 11.111 h |
| September | 22.8°C7.7°C | 7.7°C | 22 | 3.7 | 11.912 h |
| October | 24.0°C10.2°C | 10.2°C | 87 | 9.7 | 12.713 h |
| November | 24.5°C11.7°C | 11.7°C | 111 | 12.2 | 13.513 h |
| December, selected | 25.3°C13.5°C | 13.5°C | 147 | 16.7 | 13.914 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
December in nearby cities
- Phuthaditjhaba in DecemberSouth Africa · 60 kmHigh 23.9°C · Low 12.8°C · 168 mm rain
- Kroonstad in DecemberSouth Africa · 124 kmHigh 28.4°C · Low 15.8°C · 104 mm rain
- Virginia in DecemberSouth Africa · 142 kmHigh 29.4°C · Low 16.4°C · 91 mm rain
- Maseru in DecemberLesotho · 145 kmHigh 26.3°C · Low 13.5°C · 142 mm rain
- Ladysmith in DecemberSouth Africa · 149 kmHigh 27.9°C · Low 15.8°C · 179 mm rain
- Welkom in DecemberSouth Africa · 157 kmHigh 29.1°C · Low 16.0°C · 91 mm rain
- Kutloanong in DecemberSouth Africa · 159 kmHigh 29.4°C · Low 16.3°C · 94 mm rain
- Odendaalsrus in DecemberSouth Africa · 164 kmHigh 29.3°C · Low 16.3°C · 94 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Bethlehem) is explained once on the Bethlehem, South Africa year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.