Carolina climate — normals and trends
Carolina (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 14.7 °C and it receives 737 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 (18.3 °C on average) and the coldest is June (8.7 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Carolina averages 10 frost days, 5 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 105 rainy days per year.
Carolina has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.18 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 13 to 7 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 34.3 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -6.9 °C (on 30 May 1997).
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
CarolinaMpumalanga
- coords
- -26.07°, 30.11°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
14.7°C
Average daily high
21.7°C
Average daily low
9.4°C
Annual rainfall
737mm
Sunshine / day
10.0h
Mean relative humidity
69%
Average peak wind
17.3km/h
Seasonal range
9.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
10 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
5 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
105 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.9 cm
Average feels-like high
20.6 °C
Average feels-like low
7.4 °C
Average peak gust
35.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.43 · 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
34.3 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-6.9 °C
30 May 1997
Wettest day
71 mm
19 December 1940
Windiest day
48.2 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
91.1 km/h
31 August 1979
Hottest feels-like
35.4 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-11.6 °C
30 May 1997
Snowiest day
10.6 cm
10 September 1981
Sunniest day
13.6 h
1 January 2024
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 | 25.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 180 mm | +60 mm |
| Feb | 23.9 °C | 0.0 °C | 173 mm | +77 mm |
| Mar | 23.2 °C | +0.1 °C | 79 mm | +1 mm |
| Apr | 20.1 °C | -1.2 °C | 88 mm | +43 mm |
| May | 19.7 °C | +0.3 °C | 4 mm | -10 mm |
| Jun | 17.7 °C | +0.8 °C | 1 mm | -7 mm |
| Jul | 17.7 °C | +0.6 °C | 2 mm | -3 mm |
| Aug | 22.5 °C | +2.5 °C | 5 mm | -5 mm |
| Sep | 24.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 36 mm | +10 mm |
| Oct | 23.7 °C | -0.3 °C | 78 mm | +0 mm |
| Nov | 21.1 °C | -2.4 °C | 198 mm | +76 mm |
| Dec | 23.1 °C | -0.8 °C | 108 mm | -27 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 Carolina?
Carolina has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 14.7 °C and it receives 737 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Carolina?
The hottest day measured in Carolina between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 34.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Carolina?
The coldest day measured in Carolina between 1940 and 2025 was 30 May 1997, at -6.9 °C.
Does it snow in Carolina?
Almost never: Carolina sees virtually no snow, with about 10 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Carolina warmed?
Yes: Carolina warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Carolina?
The wettest day measured in Carolina between 1940 and 2025 was 19 December 1940, with 71 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Carolina?
The windiest day measured in Carolina between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 48.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Carolina?
The warmest month in Carolina is January (18.3 °C on average); the coldest is June (8.7 °C).
How much does it rain in Carolina?
Carolina receives on average 737 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 105 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Carolina?
Carolina gets on average 10.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,650 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Carolina?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Carolina between 1940 and 2025 was 10 September 1981, with 10.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Carolina?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Carolina.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Carolina?
In Carolina, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 35.4 °C on 7 January 2016, and the lowest was -11.6 °C on 30 May 1997.
Compare Carolina with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Carolina