Weather in Cape Town in December 2024
Average weather
Average temperature in Cape Town in December
Going from a maximum of +30°C during the day to a minimum of +15°C during the night, the temperature in December averages around +25°C.
The average maximum temperature goes up 13% by the end of the month, compared with the beginning of the month, from +23°C to +25°C.
Is Cape Town warm or cold in December?
Cape Town is typically mild in December.
Maximum temperatures go up compared to the previous month from +21°C to +22°C. The minimum temperature also goes up from +15°C to +17°C.
Pack a light jacket as it will be warm in the day and cool in the evenings.
December is one of the warmest months in Cape Town, here is the comparison with other months:
Water temperature in Cape Town in December
Water in Cape Town in December is Fresh. It varies from +17°C to +20°C, with an average of +18°C. This is almost similar to the air temperature, which averages +22°C.
In December, water temperatures are average relative to the rest of the year:
Can you swim in Cape Town in December?
Climate in Cape Town in December
| November | December | January | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. temperature | ||||||
| +21°C | +22°C | +23°C | ||||
| Min. temperature | ||||||
| +8°C | +11°C | +1°C | ||||
| Max. temperature | ||||||
| +32°C | +34°C | +36°C | ||||
| Rainfall | ||||||
| 23 mm | 15 mm | 12 mm | ||||
| Wind | ||||||
| 6 m/s | 6 m/s | 6 m/s | ||||
| Avg. water temperature | ||||||
| +17°C | +18°C | +19°C | ||||
| Humidity | ||||||
| 71% | 71% | 71% | ||||
| Air pressure | ||||||
| 1014 HPa | 1013 HPa | 1012 HPa | ||||
| Sunny days | ||||||
| 13 | 16 | 18 | ||||
| Cloudy days | ||||||
| 10 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Rainy days | ||||||
| 7 | 6 | 5 | ||||
| Snowy days | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
December often has better weather than November. It’s getting warmer as December arrives. The average maximum temperature goes up from +21°C to +22°C during the day. As December arrives, the amount of rainfall goes down. On average, the rainfall volume decreases from 23 mm to 15 mm. Humidity levels don’t change as the month goes on, averaging around 71%. The average wind speed doesn’t change much during December, staying around 6 m/s. The good news is there are likely to be more sunny days in December, from 13 to 16.
January brings much the same weather, it remains great.
Wind
The average wind speed is 7 m/s getting up to 10 m/s which is a medium breeze. You can feel it, especially getting out of the water.
The average wind speed in Cape Town is gradually increasing during December, going from 4 m/s to 7 m/s over the course of the month.
Rain
How was the weather last December in Cape Town?
Climate Change over Years
The climate in Cape Town in December has not changed much over the last 43 years.
The average temperature was the lowest in 1996 (+18°C) and the highest in 2022 (+22°C). The driest year was 2017 with only 308 mm of rainfall, and the wettest year was 2023 with 1389 mm.
FAQ
Is December a good time to visit Cape Town?
Can you sunbathe in Cape Town in December?
Can you swim in Cape Town in December?
Is Cape Town rainy in December?
Is it sunny in Cape Town in December?
Other cities in South Africa
Monthly weather in Cape Town
Source of the data
For this page, we’ve looked at the typical weather in Cape Town, based on historical hourly weather data from January 1, 1979, to December 31, 2023.
For past dates, we show actual recorded data at the location at that time. Forecasts are based on recorded weather during that day of the year, averaged over the total years for which we have records (unless stated otherwise). The daily temperature is the highest recorded temperature in the shadow during that day.