Emalahleni climate — normals and trends
Emalahleni (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.6 °C and it receives 768 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 (20.5 °C on average) and the coldest is June (10.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Emalahleni averages 3 frost days, 18 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 105 rainy days per year.
Emalahleni has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 5 to 1 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 36.6 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -4.3 °C (on 27 June 1964).
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
EmalahleniMpumalanga
- coords
- -25.87°, 29.23°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.6°C
Average daily high
23.4°C
Average daily low
11.2°C
Annual rainfall
768mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
62%
Average peak wind
15.1km/h
Seasonal range
10.2°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
3 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
18 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
105 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.1 cm
Average feels-like high
22.7 °C
Average feels-like low
9.6 °C
Average peak gust
32.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.42 · 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
36.6 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-4.3 °C
27 June 1964
Wettest day
108 mm
17 November 1959
Windiest day
41.9 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
77.8 km/h
26 September 2005
Hottest feels-like
37.1 °C
29 February 1964
Coldest feels-like
-8.4 °C
27 June 1964
Snowiest day
5.5 cm
10 September 1981
Sunniest day
13.6 h
16 December 2025
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 | 27.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 188 mm | +62 mm |
| Feb | 26.6 °C | +0.6 °C | 223 mm | +121 mm |
| Mar | 25.0 °C | 0.0 °C | 101 mm | +14 mm |
| Apr | 21.6 °C | -1.2 °C | 99 mm | +45 mm |
| May | 21.1 °C | +0.3 °C | 14 mm | -4 mm |
| Jun | 19.3 °C | +1.0 °C | 2 mm | -6 mm |
| Jul | 19.3 °C | +0.7 °C | 4 mm | -1 mm |
| Aug | 23.4 °C | +2.1 °C | 22 mm | +13 mm |
| Sep | 26.1 °C | +1.4 °C | 50 mm | +25 mm |
| Oct | 25.2 °C | -0.5 °C | 55 mm | -20 mm |
| Nov | 23.0 °C | -2.2 °C | 220 mm | +98 mm |
| Dec | 24.9 °C | -0.8 °C | 157 mm | +20 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 Emalahleni?
Emalahleni has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.6 °C and it receives 768 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Emalahleni?
The hottest day measured in Emalahleni between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 36.6 °C.
What is the coldest day in Emalahleni?
The coldest day measured in Emalahleni between 1940 and 2025 was 27 June 1964, at -4.3 °C.
Does it snow in Emalahleni?
Almost never: Emalahleni sees virtually no snow, with about 3 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Emalahleni warmed?
Yes: Emalahleni warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Emalahleni?
The wettest day measured in Emalahleni between 1940 and 2025 was 17 November 1959, with 108 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Emalahleni?
The windiest day measured in Emalahleni between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 41.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Emalahleni?
The warmest month in Emalahleni is January (20.5 °C on average); the coldest is June (10.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Emalahleni?
Emalahleni receives on average 768 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 105 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Emalahleni?
Emalahleni gets on average 10.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,905 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Emalahleni?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Emalahleni between 1940 and 2025 was 10 September 1981, with 5.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Emalahleni?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Emalahleni.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Emalahleni?
In Emalahleni, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.1 °C on 29 February 1964, and the lowest was -8.4 °C on 27 June 1964.
Compare Emalahleni with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Emalahleni