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South Africa has a temperate type of climate. South Africa’s climate varies according to distance from the sea, altitude and the presence of hot and cold sea currents. These currents are cold, along the coast washed by the Atlantic ocean, and are warm, along the coast washed by the Indian ocean.
Most of the interior of the nation is made up of highlands, known in South Africa as a ‘veld’. These highlands have an altitude that varies between 900 m and 1,800 meters. The days are generally bright and shiny with high summer temperatures and lower temperatures in winter.
The Western Cape area of South Africa has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and cold and wet winters. The internal provinces of Gauteng, where the city of Johannesburg is located, the Mpumalanga and the Free State have a warm climate during the summer with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, while the winter days are warm, but the nights reach temperatures close to zero.
The east coast of South Africa which includes the whole province of Kwa Zulu Natal and part of the Eastern Cape, has a sub-tropical climate, with a high humidity. The Northern Cape province is characterized by an arid semi-desert climate.
CLIMATE OF SOUTH AFRICA: CLIMATE OF GAUTENG
Pretoria: The climate of the capital of South Africa, Pretoria is characterized by dry winters with temperatures ranging between 22 ° C and 5 ° C. While summers are hot, with temperatures between 29 ° C and 17 ° C. Thunderstorms and rains are frequent during the months between November and January.
PRETORIA (1339 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 18 | 29 | 136 | 14 |
February | 17 | 28 | 75 | 11 |
March | 16 | 27 | 82 | 10 |
April | 12 | 24 | 51 | 7 |
May | 8 | 22 | 13 | 3 |
June | 5 | 19 | 7 | 1 |
July | 5 | 20 | 3 | 1 |
August | 8 | 22 | 6 | 2 |
September | 12 | 26 | 22 | 3 |
October | 14 | 27 | 71 | 9 |
November | 16 | 27 | 98 | 12 |
December | 17 | 28 | 110 | 15 |
YEAR | 12 | 25 | 674 | 87 |
Johannesburg: Johannesburg’s climate has dry winters with maximum temperatures ranging between 24 ° C-16 ° C. During the summer, that is, the months from November to February, which represent the rainy season, temperatures often exceed 30 ° C and afternoon thunderstorms are common.
JOHANNESBURG (1753 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 15 | 26 | 125 | 16 |
February | 14 | 25 | 90 | 11 |
March | 13 | 24 | 91 | 12 |
April | 10 | 21 | 54 | 9 |
May | 7 | 19 | 13 | 3 |
June | 4 | 16 | 9 | 2 |
July | 4 | 17 | 4 | 1 |
August | 6 | 19 | 6 | 2 |
September | 9 | 23 | 27 | 4 |
October | 11 | 24 | 72 | 10 |
November | 13 | 24 | 117 | 15 |
December | 14 | 25 | 105 | 15 |
YEAR | 10 | 22 | 713 | 99 |
CLIMATE OF THE WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town: Cape Town has a pleasant Mediterranean climate with well defined seasons. The climate of this South African city has winter rains, between May and August, and temperatures around 18 ° C, and hot summers with temperatures ranging between 25-27 ° C.
CAPE TOWN (44 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 16 | 26 | 15 | 6 |
February | 16 | 27 | 17 | 5 |
March | 14 | 25 | 20 | 5 |
April | 12 | 23 | 41 | 8 |
May | 9 | 20 | 69 | 11 |
June | 8 | 18 | 93 | 13 |
July | 7 | 18 | 82 | 12 |
August | 8 | 18 | 77 | 14 |
September | 9 | 19 | 40 | 10 |
October | 11 | 21 | 30 | 9 |
November | 13 | 24 | 14 | 5 |
December | 15 | 25 | 17 | 6 |
YEAR | 11 | 22 | 515 | 103 |
CAPE TOWN | ||||
Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
January | 20 | |||
February | 20 | |||
March | 20 | |||
April | 18 | |||
May | 17 | |||
June | 16 | |||
July | 16 | |||
August | 16 | |||
September | 16 | |||
October | 16 | |||
November | 18 | |||
December | 19 |
CLIMATE OF THE NORTHERN CAPE
Upington: Upington is located near the Kalahari desert. This area of South Africa has a hot and dry climate. Little rain falls between December and April. The best time to visit the Upington region is the warm and sunny winter months between June and September.
UPINGTON (848 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 20 | 36 | 24 | 4 |
February | 20 | 34 | 35 | 6 |
March | 18 | 32 | 37 | 6 |
April | 13 | 28 | 26 | 5 |
May | 8 | 24 | 10 | 2 |
June | 5 | 21 | 4 | 2 |
July | 4 | 21 | 2 | 1 |
August | 6 | 23 | 4 | 1 |
September | 9 | 27 | 4 | 2 |
October | 13 | 30 | 9 | 3 |
November | 16 | 33 | 17 | 3 |
December | 19 | 35 | 17 | 4 |
YEAR | 13 | 29 | 189 | 37 |
CLIMATE OF THE EASTERN CAPE
Port Elizabeth: Port Elizabeth has a sub-tropical climate with rainfall spread throughout the year. The city has mild temperatures ranging between 20 ° C and 9 ° C during the winter and 25 ° C-17 ° C during the summer. Port Elizabeth has a pleasant climate which allows swimming all year round.
PORT ELIZABETH (15 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 18 | 25 | 36 | 9 |
February | 18 | 25 | 40 | 9 |
March | 17 | 25 | 54 | 10 |
April | 14 | 23 | 58 | 9 |
May | 12 | 22 | 59 | 9 |
June | 9 | 20 | 62 | 8 |
July | 9 | 20 | 47 | 8 |
August | 10 | 20 | 64 | 10 |
September | 11 | 20 | 62 | 9 |
October | 13 | 21 | 59 | 11 |
November | 15 | 22 | 49 | 11 |
December | 16 | 24 | 34 | 9 |
YEAR | 14 | 22 | 624 | 112 |
PORT ELIZABETH | ||||
Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
January | 23 | |||
February | 23 | |||
March | 23 | |||
April | 22 | |||
May | 21 | |||
June | 20 | |||
July | 19 | |||
August | 19 | |||
September | 19 | |||
October | 20 | |||
November | 21 | |||
December | 22 |
CLIMATE OF KWAZULU-NATAL
Durban: Durban has a sub-tropical climate, with warm and sunny winters, and hot and humid summers. Average temperatures are around 16 ° C -25 ° C all year round. Rain is frequent during the summer months, between October and March, when it occurs in the form of afternoon thunderstorms.
DURBAN (12 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 21 | 28 | 134 | 15 |
February | 21 | 28 | 113 | 13 |
March | 20 | 28 | 120 | 13 |
April | 17 | 26 | 73 | 9 |
May | 14 | 25 | 59 | 7 |
June | 11 | 23 | 28 | 5 |
July | 11 | 23 | 39 | 5 |
August | 13 | 23 | 62 | 7 |
September | 15 | 23 | 73 | 11 |
October | 17 | 24 | 98 | 15 |
November | 18 | 25 | 108 | 16 |
December | 20 | 27 | 102 | 15 |
YEAR | 17 | 25 | 1009 | 130 |
DURBAN | ||||
Month | Sea Water Temperature °C | |||
January | 26 | |||
February | 26 | |||
March | 26 | |||
April | 25 | |||
May | 24 | |||
June | 22 | |||
July | 22 | |||
August | 21 | |||
September | 21 | |||
October | 22 | |||
November | 23 | |||
December | 24 |
CLIMATE OF THE FREE STATE
Bloemfontein: The climate of Bloemfontein is characterized by dry winters from May to August with temperatures around 17 ° C during the day and even -2 ° C during the night. The summer from October to February has temperatures of around 30 ° C during the day and gusts of rain in the afternoon. The rainiest month is February. Snow is a rare occurrence.
BLOEMFONTEIN / MANGAUNG (1395 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 15 | 31 | 83 | 11 |
February | 15 | 29 | 111 | 11 |
March | 12 | 27 | 72 | 11 |
April | 8 | 23 | 56 | 9 |
May | 3 | 20 | 17 | 4 |
June | -2 | 17 | 12 | 3 |
July | -2 | 17 | 8 | 2 |
August | 1 | 20 | 15 | 3 |
September | 5 | 24 | 24 | 4 |
October | 9 | 26 | 43 | 7 |
November | 12 | 28 | 58 | 9 |
December | 14 | 30 | 60 | 10 |
YEAR | 8 | 24 | 559 | 84 |
CLIMATE OF THE MPUMALANGA
Nelspruit: Nelspruit and the South African region of Mpumalanga have a sub-tropical climate with average maximum temperatures around 23 ° C during the winter and up to 29 ° C during the summer. In this area of the country the rainy season runs from November to March.
NELSPRUIT (689 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 19 | 29 | 127 | 14 |
February | 19 | 29 | 108 | 12 |
March | 18 | 28 | 90 | 12 |
April | 14 | 27 | 51 | 7 |
May | 10 | 25 | 15 | 4 |
June | 6 | 23 | 9 | 2 |
July | 6 | 23 | 10 | 2 |
August | 9 | 25 | 10 | 3 |
September | 12 | 27 | 26 | 5 |
October | 14 | 27 | 75 | 11 |
November | 17 | 27 | 115 | 15 |
December | 18 | 28 | 131 | 14 |
YEAR | 13 | 27 | 767 | 100 |
CLIMATE OF LIMPOPO
Polokwane: Polokwane and the province of Limpopo have a tropical climate with winter temperatures between 20 ° C and 4 ° C and summer temperatures between 28 ° C and 16 ° C. Despite its position on the Tropic of Capricorn, the city enjoys a pleasant climate thanks to the altitude at which it is located. The rainy season runs from November to March.
POLOKWANE / PIETERSBURG (1310 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 17 | 28 | 82 | 10 |
February | 17 | 28 | 60 | 8 |
March | 15 | 27 | 52 | 8 |
April | 12 | 24 | 33 | 6 |
May | 8 | 22 | 11 | 2 |
June | 5 | 20 | 5 | 1 |
July | 4 | 20 | 3 | 1 |
August | 7 | 22 | 6 | 1 |
September | 10 | 25 | 17 | 2 |
October | 13 | 26 | 43 | 7 |
November | 15 | 27 | 85 | 10 |
December | 16 | 27 | 81 | 11 |
YEAR | 12 | 25 | 478 | 65 |
CLIMATE OF THE NORTH-WEST PROVINCE
Rustenburg: Rustenburg and the area of South Africa towards the border with Botswana has a sub-tropical climate with average temperatures ranging between 2º C and 20ºC during the winter and between 22º C and 35 ° C during the summer. The rains are concentrated in the months between September and April, the rainiest month is December.
RUSTENBURG (1170 meters) | ||||
Month | Average low (°C) | Average high (°C) | Precip. (mm) | Precip. days |
January | 19 | 32 | 78 | 10 |
February | 18 | 31 | 71 | 8 |
March | 16 | 30 | 58 | 8 |
April | 12 | 27 | 38 | 6 |
May | 7 | 25 | 6 | 1 |
June | 3 | 22 | 12 | 2 |
July | 2 | 22 | 3 | 1 |
August | 6 | 26 | 5 | 1 |
September | 11 | 28 | 25 | 4 |
October | 15 | 30 | 57 | 7 |
November | 16 | 31 | 61 | 10 |
December | 18 | 31 | 105 | 12 |
YEAR | 12 | 28 | 519 | 69 |
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