Balfour climate — normals and trends
Balfour (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.7 °C and it receives 823 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 (19.9 °C on average) and the coldest is June (9.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Balfour averages 8 frost days, 14 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 109 rainy days per year.
Balfour has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.0 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -5.3 °C (on 21 July 2000).
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
BalfourMpumalanga
- coords
- -26.66°, 28.59°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.7°C
Average daily high
22.6°C
Average daily low
10.3°C
Annual rainfall
823mm
Sunshine / day
10.6h
Mean relative humidity
63%
Average peak wind
17.7km/h
Seasonal range
10.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
8 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
14 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
109 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.4 cm
Average feels-like high
21.5 °C
Average feels-like low
8.2 °C
Average peak gust
35.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.7 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.41 · 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
38.0 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-5.3 °C
21 July 2000
Wettest day
74 mm
6 October 1942
Windiest day
48.5 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
97.9 km/h
9 November 1940
Hottest feels-like
37.3 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-9.4 °C
21 July 2000
Snowiest day
11.1 cm
10 September 1981
Sunniest day
13.7 h
11 December 1940
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 | 26.9 °C | +1.3 °C | 213 mm | +72 mm |
| Feb | 25.9 °C | +0.7 °C | 213 mm | +101 mm |
| Mar | 24.4 °C | +0.2 °C | 147 mm | +61 mm |
| Apr | 20.9 °C | -1.1 °C | 142 mm | +87 mm |
| May | 20.3 °C | +0.5 °C | 10 mm | -8 mm |
| Jun | 18.1 °C | +1.0 °C | 2 mm | -7 mm |
| Jul | 18.1 °C | +0.7 °C | 7 mm | +3 mm |
| Aug | 22.7 °C | +2.2 °C | 32 mm | +20 mm |
| Sep | 25.1 °C | +1.0 °C | 58 mm | +30 mm |
| Oct | 25.1 °C | -0.1 °C | 87 mm | +1 mm |
| Nov | 22.7 °C | -2.4 °C | 195 mm | +71 mm |
| Dec | 24.7 °C | -0.8 °C | 159 mm | +13 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 Balfour?
Balfour has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.7 °C and it receives 823 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Balfour?
The hottest day measured in Balfour between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 38.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Balfour?
The coldest day measured in Balfour between 1940 and 2025 was 21 July 2000, at -5.3 °C.
Does it snow in Balfour?
Almost never: Balfour sees virtually no snow, with about 8 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Balfour warmed?
Yes: Balfour warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Balfour?
The wettest day measured in Balfour between 1940 and 2025 was 6 October 1942, with 74 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Balfour?
The windiest day measured in Balfour between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 48.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Balfour?
The warmest month in Balfour is January (19.9 °C on average); the coldest is June (9.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Balfour?
Balfour receives on average 823 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 109 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Balfour?
Balfour gets on average 10.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,869 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Balfour?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Balfour between 1940 and 2025 was 10 September 1981, with 11.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Balfour?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Balfour.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Balfour?
In Balfour, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.3 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -9.4 °C on 21 July 2000.
Compare Balfour with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Balfour