Climate averages 1991–2020
Queenstown weather
in December.
A warm, wet month: the 2nd warmest and the 10th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a warm month in Queenstown: daytime highs average 27.7°C and nights cool to about 13.9°C. By daytime temperature it is the 2nd warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 91 mm of rain on roughly 14 days, which makes December a wet month (the 10th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 14 h 11 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Bhisho (118 km away). In December its highs average 25.0°C, 2.7°C cooler than Queenstown, with 114 mm of rain.
Among the 95 cities listed in South Africa, Queenstown ranks joint 32nd of 95 for the warmest December highs and joint 26th of 95 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 95 cities is 26.6°C; Queenstown is 1.0°C warmer than that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 0.5°C to 28.1°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 91 mm to 100 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
Queenstown climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28.1°C15.2°C | 15.2°C | 100 | 13.9 | 14.014 h |
| February | 27.5°C15.3°C | 15.3°C | 98 | 13.4 | 13.213 h |
| March | 26.0°C13.8°C | 13.8°C | 78 | 12.3 | 12.312 h |
| April | 22.9°C10.3°C | 10.3°C | 47 | 7.7 | 11.311 h |
| May | 20.6°C6.9°C | 6.9°C | 14 | 3.4 | 10.511 h |
| June | 17.6°C4.0°C | 4.0°C | 12 | 2.4 | 10.110 h |
| July | 17.7°C3.3°C | 3.3°C | 13 | 2.3 | 10.310 h |
| August | 19.9°C5.0°C | 5.0°C | 21 | 3.8 | 11.011 h |
| September | 23.4°C7.8°C | 7.8°C | 33 | 5.4 | 11.912 h |
| October | 24.7°C10.0°C | 10.0°C | 55 | 10.1 | 12.813 h |
| November | 26.1°C11.8°C | 11.8°C | 72 | 11.8 | 13.714 h |
| December, selected | 27.7°C13.9°C | 13.9°C | 91 | 13.7 | 14.214 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
- Bhisho in DecemberSouth Africa · 118 kmHigh 25.0°C · Low 15.0°C · 114 mm rain
- Qonce in DecemberSouth Africa · 120 kmHigh 25.4°C · Low 15.8°C · 78 mm rain
- Mdantsane in DecemberSouth Africa · 143 kmHigh 24.4°C · Low 16.9°C · 76 mm rain
- East London in DecemberSouth Africa · 158 kmHigh 24.5°C · Low 18.9°C · 83 mm rain
- Grahamstown in DecemberSouth Africa · 160 kmHigh 25.6°C · Low 14.8°C · 62 mm rain
- Mthatha in DecemberSouth Africa · 184 kmHigh 24.0°C · Low 14.9°C · 140 mm rain
- Motherwell in DecemberSouth Africa · 243 kmHigh 24.7°C · Low 17.2°C · 45 mm rain
- Kariega in DecemberSouth Africa · 248 kmHigh 25.4°C · Low 16.7°C · 45 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 Queenstown) is explained once on the Queenstown year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.