Cape Town weather in December
In December, Cape Town has an average high of 21 °C69 °F and an average low of 17 °C63 °F, with about 12 mm0.5 in of precipitation. It is the 4th warmest month of the year and ranks 11th for precipitation.
How December compares with other months
Compared with November, December is 1.7 °C3 °F warmer on average and drier by 18 mm0.7 in. Compared with January, December is 1 °C1.7 °F cooler on average. Daylight lasts about 14.4 hours around the middle of the month. Average relative humidity is 78% and the average cloud amount 27%.
Is December a good time to visit Cape Town?
Yes — December is one of the most comfortable months to visit Cape Town by our comfort score, which favours average highs of 21–28 °C, lows above 5 °C, little rain and moderate humidity.
What to wear in December
For Cape Town in December, pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
December in nearby places
| Place | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 2169 | 1763 | 120.5 |
| Somerset West | 2679 | 1661 | 200.8 |
| Paarl | 2985 | 1560 | 190.7 |
| Worcester | 3188 | 1558 | 281.1 |
| George | 2476 | 1660 | 341.4 |
| Gqeberha | 2373 | 1864 | 331.3 |
| Queenstown | 2985 | 1254 | 913.6 |
| Kimberley | 3494 | 1763 | 662.6 |
| Mdantsane | 2679 | 1660 | 1174.6 |
Nearby places that are more than 1 °C1.8 °F warmer in December: Somerset West, Paarl, Worcester and Gqeberha.
Other months in Cape Town
- January22 °C71 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- February22 °C72 °F / 19 °C65 °F
- March21 °C70 °F / 18 °C64 °F
- April19 °C67 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- May18 °C64 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- June16 °C61 °F / 14 °C57 °F
- July16 °C60 °F / 13 °C55 °F
- August16 °C60 °F / 13 °C55 °F
- September16 °C62 °F / 14 °C56 °F
- October18 °C64 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- November19 °C66 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- December21 °C69 °F / 17 °C63 °F
Frequently asked questions
How warm is Cape Town in December?
In December the average high in Cape Town is 21 °C (69 °F) and the average low is 17 °C (63 °F).
Does it rain a lot in Cape Town in December?
On average about 12 mm (0.5 in) of precipitation falls in December; it ranks 11th of the 12 months.
Is December the warmest month in Cape Town?
No. The warmest month in Cape Town is February, with an average high of 22 °C (72 °F). The coldest month is August, with an average low of 13 °C (55 °F).
How long is the day in Cape Town in December?
In the middle of December the day in Cape Town lasts about 14.4 hours from sunrise to sunset. The value is calculated from the position of the city and the sun.
How humid is Cape Town in December?
The average relative humidity in December is about 78%. This is a long-term average for the whole day.
How cloudy is Cape Town in December?
On average about 27% of the sky is covered by cloud in December. This is the mean cloud amount from satellite data, not the number of sunny days.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.