Beaufort West climate — normals and trends
Beaufort West (South Africa) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.8 °C and it receives 373 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 (22.1 °C on average) and the coldest is July (9.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Beaufort West averages 12 frost days, 61 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 61 rainy days per year.
Beaufort West has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.24 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 15 to 9 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 42.0 °C (on 16 January 2020) and the coldest -8.5 °C (on 17 June 1969).
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
Beaufort WestWestern Cape
- coords
- -32.36°, 22.58°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.8°C
Average daily high
23.0°C
Average daily low
9.6°C
Annual rainfall
373mm
Sunshine / day
11.1h
Mean relative humidity
52%
Average peak wind
20.3km/h
Seasonal range
13.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
12 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
61 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
61 d/yr
Annual snowfall
3.1 cm
Average feels-like high
20.4 °C
Average feels-like low
7.0 °C
Average peak gust
43.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
5 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.54 · 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
42.0 °C
16 January 2020
Coldest day
-8.5 °C
17 June 1969
Wettest day
76 mm
3 February 1946
Windiest day
56.6 km/h
31 August 1964
Strongest gust
115.2 km/h
11 August 2012
Hottest feels-like
42.1 °C
16 January 2020
Coldest feels-like
-13.6 °C
17 June 1969
Snowiest day
20.3 cm
14 July 2012
Sunniest day
14.1 h
21 December 2023
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 | 32.3 °C | +2.8 °C | 13 mm | -32 mm |
| Feb | 30.3 °C | +1.7 °C | 35 mm | -21 mm |
| Mar | 27.5 °C | +1.0 °C | 115 mm | +59 mm |
| Apr | 22.3 °C | -0.3 °C | 60 mm | +26 mm |
| May | 21.4 °C | +2.1 °C | 8 mm | -13 mm |
| Jun | 17.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 16 mm | +1 mm |
| Jul | 16.2 °C | 0.0 °C | 20 mm | +6 mm |
| Aug | 19.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 7 mm | -9 mm |
| Sep | 23.4 °C | +2.4 °C | 4 mm | -14 mm |
| Oct | 26.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 9 mm | -19 mm |
| Nov | 28.7 °C | +2.5 °C | 35 mm | +1 mm |
| Dec | 31.6 °C | +3.2 °C | 14 mm | -22 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 Beaufort West?
Beaufort West has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.8 °C and it receives 373 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Beaufort West?
The hottest day measured in Beaufort West between 1940 and 2025 was 16 January 2020, reaching 42.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Beaufort West?
The coldest day measured in Beaufort West between 1940 and 2025 was 17 June 1969, at -8.5 °C.
Does it snow in Beaufort West?
Yes. Beaufort West gets on average 3.1 cm of snow per year and has around 12 frost days.
Has the climate of Beaufort West warmed?
Yes: Beaufort West warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Beaufort West?
The wettest day measured in Beaufort West between 1940 and 2025 was 3 February 1946, with 76 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Beaufort West?
The windiest day measured in Beaufort West between 1940 and 2025 was 31 August 1964, with winds reaching 56.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Beaufort West?
The warmest month in Beaufort West is January (22.1 °C on average); the coldest is July (9.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Beaufort West?
Beaufort West receives on average 373 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 61 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Beaufort West?
Beaufort West gets on average 11.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,052 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Beaufort West?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Beaufort West between 1940 and 2025 was 14 July 2012, with 20.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Beaufort West?
Yes: Beaufort West has on average 5 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Beaufort West?
In Beaufort West, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.1 °C on 16 January 2020, and the lowest was -13.6 °C on 17 June 1969.
Compare Beaufort West with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Beaufort West