Best time to visit South Africa

South Africa in this dataset covers 5 cities with distinct NASA POWER grid cells (plus nearby cities that share a cell). Annual rainfall among those cities runs from 489 mm in Cape Town to 887 mm in Durban. The monthly-average temperature swing is 5.0–11.6°C depending on the city.

South Africa is not one climate: the cities here include a humid subtropical climate; a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters.

Regional contrasts in South Africa

The hottest peak in the sample is Durban in February (25.0°C). The coldest monthly average is Soweto in July (10.5°C). Durban takes the most rain (887 mm a year, wettest in November); Cape Town takes the least (489 mm).

Warmest-month averages in the set range from 20.4°C to 25.0°C. Use the city pages for the month-by-month table; this page is the contrast between places.

Best months by region

Drier cities: typical hottest-month average 22.4°C and about 530 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Cape Town (December, January, and February); Pretoria (May, August, and September).

In-between rainfall: typical hottest-month average 22.0°C and about 614 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Soweto (January, September, and December); Johannesburg (January, September, and December).

Wetter cities: typical hottest-month average 25.0°C and about 887 mm of rain a year. Best-scoring months — Durban (May, June, and August).

Cape Town in South Africa

Cape Town sits at -33.93°, 18.42°. It is a humid subtropical climate. February is the warmest month at 20.4°C (high 22.1°C); August is the coolest at 14.3°C (low 13.0°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 6.1°C.

The wet season runs from June to August. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are December, January, and February. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 4,772,846. The wettest month is June (91 mm, 12 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is February (9 mm).

Durban in South Africa

Durban sits at -29.86°, 31.03°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. February is the warmest month at 25.0°C (high 25.8°C); July is the coolest at 20.0°C (low 18.7°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 5.0°C.

The wet season runs from October to January. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, June, and August. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 3,338,026. The wettest month is November (122 mm, 16 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is June (27 mm).

Johannesburg in South Africa

Johannesburg sits at -26.20°, 28.04°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. January is the warmest month at 21.8°C (high 28.4°C); July is the coolest at 11.0°C (low 2.9°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 10.8°C.

The rainy season runs from November to March. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are January, September, and December. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 9,418,183. The wettest month is December (127 mm, 20 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (3 mm).

Pretoria in South Africa

Pretoria sits at -25.74°, 28.19°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. January is the warmest month at 24.5°C (high 31.2°C); July is the coolest at 13.5°C (low 5.1°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 11.0°C.

The rainy season runs from November to March. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are May, August, and September. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 2,112,693. The wettest month is January (115 mm, 20 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (2 mm).

Soweto in South Africa

Soweto sits at -26.27°, 27.86°. It is a Mediterranean pattern: dry summers and wetter winters. January is the warmest month at 22.1°C (high 28.9°C); July is the coolest at 10.5°C (low 2.3°C). The gap between those monthly averages is 11.6°C.

The rainy season runs from November to February. The three highest-scoring months for a visit are January, September, and December. That ranking uses the same 22°C / low-rain / 60% humidity score as the city pages. Population in the GeoNames record is 1,695,047. The wettest month is December (118 mm, 19 days with at least 1 mm); the driest is July (3 mm).