Durban climate — normals and trends
Durban (South Africa) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 20.2 °C and it receives 897 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 February (23.7 °C on average) and the coldest is July (16.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Durban averages 0 frost days, 14 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 125 rainy days per year.
Durban has warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.16 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 38.0 °C (on 25 December 2014) and the coldest 7.1 °C (on 29 June 1994).
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
DurbanKwaZulu-Natal
- coords
- -29.86°, 31.03°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
20.2°C
Average daily high
24.1°C
Average daily low
17.3°C
Annual rainfall
897mm
Sunshine / day
9.5h
Mean relative humidity
78%
Average peak wind
21.5km/h
Seasonal range
7.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
14 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
125 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
25.1 °C
Average feels-like low
17.1 °C
Average peak gust
39.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
96 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.4 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.55 · 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
25 December 2014
Coldest day
7.1 °C
29 June 1994
Wettest day
206 mm
22 December 1999
Windiest day
55.2 km/h
8 July 1996
Strongest gust
111.6 km/h
27 June 2007
Hottest feels-like
43.1 °C
16 December 1997
Coldest feels-like
2.8 °C
28 August 2021
Sunniest day
13.9 h
27 December 2017
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 | 27.6 °C | +1.2 °C | 153 mm | +51 mm |
| Feb | 26.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 135 mm | +23 mm |
| Mar | 26.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 154 mm | +52 mm |
| Apr | 24.2 °C | -0.6 °C | 181 mm | +97 mm |
| May | 24.3 °C | +0.8 °C | 30 mm | -16 mm |
| Jun | 23.2 °C | +1.2 °C | 25 mm | -2 mm |
| Jul | 21.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 44 mm | +13 mm |
| Aug | 22.6 °C | +0.4 °C | 8 mm | -32 mm |
| Sep | 23.0 °C | +0.4 °C | 91 mm | +26 mm |
| Oct | 23.3 °C | +0.3 °C | 69 mm | -20 mm |
| Nov | 23.9 °C | -0.2 °C | 73 mm | -25 mm |
| Dec | 25.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 113 mm | +12 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 Durban?
Durban has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.2 °C and it receives 897 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Durban?
The hottest day measured in Durban between 1940 and 2025 was 25 December 2014, reaching 38.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Durban?
The coldest day measured in Durban between 1940 and 2025 was 29 June 1994, at 7.1 °C.
Does it snow in Durban?
Almost never: Durban sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Durban warmed?
Yes: Durban warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Durban?
The wettest day measured in Durban between 1940 and 2025 was 22 December 1999, with 206 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Durban?
The windiest day measured in Durban between 1940 and 2025 was 8 July 1996, with winds reaching 55.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Durban?
The warmest month in Durban is February (23.7 °C on average); the coldest is July (16.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Durban?
Durban receives on average 897 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 125 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Durban?
Durban gets on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,468 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Durban?
Yes: Durban has on average 96 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Durban?
In Durban, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.1 °C on 16 December 1997, and the lowest was 2.8 °C on 28 August 2021.
Compare Durban with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Durban