Mbabane climate — normals and trends
Mbabane (Eswatini) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.1 °C and it receives 1,330 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is January (20.4 °C on average) and the coldest is June (12.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Mbabane averages 0 frost days, 18 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 156 rainy days per year.
Mbabane has warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.12 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.2 °C (on 8 October 1941) and the coldest -0.4 °C (on 28 June 1964).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
MbabaneHhohho Region
- coords
- -26.32°, 31.13°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.1°C
Average daily high
23.1°C
Average daily low
12.7°C
Annual rainfall
1,330mm
Sunshine / day
9.5h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
13.0km/h
Seasonal range
7.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
18 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
156 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.9 °C
Average feels-like low
12.1 °C
Average peak gust
32.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 d/yr
Solar radiation
17.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.0 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.37 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
37.2 °C
8 October 1941
Coldest day
-0.4 °C
28 June 1964
Wettest day
154 mm
23 January 1948
Windiest day
38.6 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
87.8 km/h
29 January 1984
Hottest feels-like
40.1 °C
24 December 2015
Coldest feels-like
-3.8 °C
27 June 1964
Snowiest day
0.4 cm
7 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.7 h
20 December 1941
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6 °C | +1.4 °C | 300 mm | +79 mm |
| Feb | 25.0 °C | -0.1 °C | 196 mm | +6 mm |
| Mar | 24.8 °C | +0.3 °C | 118 mm | -36 mm |
| Apr | 22.4 °C | -0.5 °C | 129 mm | +34 mm |
| May | 22.3 °C | +0.7 °C | 13 mm | -21 mm |
| Jun | 20.8 °C | +0.9 °C | 4 mm | -14 mm |
| Jul | 20.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 19 mm | +2 mm |
| Aug | 23.1 °C | +1.5 °C | 8 mm | -23 mm |
| Sep | 23.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 64 mm | +6 mm |
| Oct | 23.1 °C | -0.6 °C | 149 mm | +30 mm |
| Nov | 22.8 °C | -1.4 °C | 207 mm | +33 mm |
| Dec | 24.5 °C | -0.6 °C | 338 mm | +117 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Mbabane?
Mbabane has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.1 °C and it receives 1,330 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Mbabane?
The hottest day measured in Mbabane between 1940 and 2025 was 8 October 1941, reaching 37.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Mbabane?
The coldest day measured in Mbabane between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 1964, at -0.4 °C.
Does it snow in Mbabane?
Almost never: Mbabane sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Mbabane warmed?
Yes: Mbabane warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Mbabane?
The wettest day measured in Mbabane between 1940 and 2025 was 23 January 1948, with 154 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Mbabane?
The windiest day measured in Mbabane between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 38.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Mbabane?
The warmest month in Mbabane is January (20.4 °C on average); the coldest is June (12.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Mbabane?
Mbabane receives on average 1,330 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 156 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Mbabane?
Mbabane gets on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,468 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Mbabane?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Mbabane between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1996, with 0.4 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Mbabane?
Yes: Mbabane has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Mbabane?
In Mbabane, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 40.1 °C on 24 December 2015, and the lowest was -3.8 °C on 27 June 1964.
Compare Mbabane with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Mbabane