East London climate — normals and trends
East London (South Africa) has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 19.2 °C and it receives 796 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 (22.4 °C on average) and the coldest is July (16.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in March.
East London averages 0 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 117 rainy days per year.
East London has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 35.4 °C (on 23 October 2025) and the coldest 8.5 °C (on 10 July 1944).
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
East LondonEastern Cape
- coords
- -33.02°, 27.91°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
19.2°C
Average daily high
21.6°C
Average daily low
17.3°C
Annual rainfall
796mm
Sunshine / day
10.0h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
26.4km/h
Seasonal range
5.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
117 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
21.5 °C
Average feels-like low
15.8 °C
Average peak gust
42.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
77 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.50 · 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
35.4 °C
23 October 2025
Coldest day
8.5 °C
10 July 1944
Wettest day
126 mm
2 September 1968
Windiest day
71.2 km/h
3 August 1991
Strongest gust
130.0 km/h
3 August 1991
Hottest feels-like
37.3 °C
23 January 2021
Coldest feels-like
0.8 °C
8 July 1943
Sunniest day
14.0 h
2 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 | 24.9 °C | +0.9 °C | 109 mm | +34 mm |
| Feb | 24.5 °C | +0.2 °C | 99 mm | +9 mm |
| Mar | 24.8 °C | +1.0 °C | 103 mm | +11 mm |
| Apr | 22.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 201 mm | +123 mm |
| May | 22.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 18 mm | -30 mm |
| Jun | 20.5 °C | +0.5 °C | 68 mm | +33 mm |
| Jul | 20.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 33 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 20.0 °C | +0.5 °C | 15 mm | -31 mm |
| Sep | 20.0 °C | +0.4 °C | 42 mm | -22 mm |
| Oct | 21.3 °C | +1.1 °C | 41 mm | -44 mm |
| Nov | 22.3 °C | +0.9 °C | 42 mm | -39 mm |
| Dec | 23.2 °C | +0.4 °C | 71 mm | +2 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 East London?
East London has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 19.2 °C and it receives 796 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in East London?
The hottest day measured in East London between 1940 and 2025 was 23 October 2025, reaching 35.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in East London?
The coldest day measured in East London between 1940 and 2025 was 10 July 1944, at 8.5 °C.
Does it snow in East London?
Almost never: East London sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of East London warmed?
Yes: East London warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in East London?
The wettest day measured in East London between 1940 and 2025 was 2 September 1968, with 126 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in East London?
The windiest day measured in East London between 1940 and 2025 was 3 August 1991, with winds reaching 71.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in East London?
The warmest month in East London is February (22.4 °C on average); the coldest is July (16.5 °C).
How much does it rain in East London?
East London receives on average 796 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 117 rainy days.
Is it sunny in East London?
East London gets on average 10.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,650 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in East London?
Yes: East London has on average 77 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in East London?
In East London, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.3 °C on 23 January 2021, and the lowest was 0.8 °C on 8 July 1943.
Compare East London with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around East London