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 A summer storm in the Okavango Delta
 

SOUTHERN AFRICA'S WEATHER


[ Outline ] - [ Average Monthly Temperatures ] - [ Average Monthly Rainfall ]- [ Average Rainy Days ]


Weather - an Outline

Most of the southern African region is either tropical or sub-tropical, enjoying a warm climate. Seasons are reversed from the northern hemisphere, with spring and summer spanning September to February, and autumn and winter being from March to August. Days in the summer are warm to hot (but humidity is, for the most part, low), with balmy evenings. Early winter mornings are cold and crisp, with the temperature rising through the course of the day; as the sun sets, the temperature falls again, making for cold, clear nights. As a rule, the northern and eastern parts of the region (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and eastern South Africa) are summer rainfall areas. Typically rain comes in the form of brief but explosive afternoon thunder showers. The south-western part of the region (South Africa's Western Cape province), on the other hand, experiences soft, soaking rain during the winter months.


Snow is limited to mountainous regions



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AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES °F (min./max.)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Johannesburg 60 58 56 52 46 40 40 44 48 54 56 58
80 78 76 72 66 62 62 66 72 76 78 78
Cape Town 62 60 58 54 50 46 44 44 46 50 56 60
80 80 78 74 68 64 63 64 66 70 76 78
Nelspruit (Kruger National Park) 64 64 63 56 50 42 42 46 52 58 62 63
84 84 82 80 78 74 76 78 80 80 82 83
Durban 70 70 68 63 54 50 50 54 60 63 64 68
83 83 83 80 76 74 74 74 74 76 78 82
Polokwane (Madikwe) 56 55 51 45 38 33 33 35 40 47 50 54
91 89 88 85 81 76 76 83 90 91 91 91
George ('Garden Route') 60 60 58 54 48 46 44 44 46 50 54 58
76 76 74 72 70 64 62 62 64 68 72 74
Victoria Falls 63 63 64 58 50 44 42 46 58 64 64 63
88 86 87 84 84 78 78 83 90 92 87 92
Maun (Okavango Delta) 66 66 64 58 48 42 42 48 56 64 66 66
88 87 87 87 83 78 78 83 90 94 92 88
Windhoek 63 63 60 56 48 44 44 46 54 58 62 63
86 84 82 78 72 68 68 74 80 84 84 87
Swakopmund 54 54 54 60 60 64 60 60 54 54 54 54
78 74 74 78 78 83 83 83 78 78 78 78


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AVERAGE RAINFALL (INCHES)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Johannesburg 6 4 4 2½ ¾ ½ ¼ ½ 1 3 5 5
Cape Town ½ ½ ¾ 1½ 2½ 4 3 3 1½ 1 ¾ ¾
Nelspruit (Kruger National Park) 5 4 4 2 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 3 4½ 5
Durban 5½ 4 5 3 2 1 1½ 2 ½ 3 4 4 4
George ('Garden Route') 2½ 2½ 3 3 2 2 2 3 2½ 3 2½ 3
Victoria Falls 9 7½ 4 2 ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 1 4 8
Maun (Okavango Delta) 4 3 3 1 ¼ ¼ 0 0 0 1 2 4
Windhoek 2 2 2 1 ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ ½ 1 1
Swakopmund ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ¼ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½


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AVERAGE NUMBER OF RAINY DAYS
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Johannesburg 13 10 12 7 3 2 1 3 4 8 12 13
Cape Town 5 4 5 8 11 13 12 13 10 8 5 6
Nelspruit (Kruger National Park) 13 12 1 6 4 3 2 4 5 1 15 15
Durban 14 13 12 9 6 5 5 7 11 15 16 15
George ('Garden Route') 11 10 11 10 8 8 8 10 11 12 12 10


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Some helpful weather links

Clicking on these links will open new pages in your browser. To return to this page, please just click on the relevant icon at the bottom of your screen.

Weather.com - Click on the African country and then choose a city for today's weather and other statistics

Yahoo Weather - Africa - Similar to weather.com

Photo credits: Wilderness Safaris