Frankfort climate — normals and trends
Frankfort (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.5 °C and it receives 784 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 (20.0 °C on average) and the coldest is June (8.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Frankfort averages 15 frost days, 19 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 106 rainy days per year.
Frankfort has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.1 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -6.5 °C (on 14 July 1990).
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
FrankfortFree State
- coords
- -27.28°, 28.50°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.5°C
Average daily high
22.8°C
Average daily low
9.8°C
Annual rainfall
784mm
Sunshine / day
10.5h
Mean relative humidity
63%
Average peak wind
17.8km/h
Seasonal range
11.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
15 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
19 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
106 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.5 cm
Average feels-like high
21.5 °C
Average feels-like low
7.7 °C
Average peak gust
35.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.46 · 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
39.1 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-6.5 °C
14 July 1990
Wettest day
101 mm
12 February 1996
Windiest day
49.3 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
92.5 km/h
23 October 1995
Hottest feels-like
38.3 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-10.4 °C
14 July 1990
Snowiest day
10.8 cm
7 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.7 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 | 27.4 °C | +1.4 °C | 190 mm | +58 mm |
| Feb | 26.4 °C | +0.8 °C | 200 mm | +98 mm |
| Mar | 24.6 °C | 0.0 °C | 134 mm | +53 mm |
| Apr | 20.9 °C | -1.3 °C | 195 mm | +142 mm |
| May | 20.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 10 mm | -9 mm |
| Jun | 18.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 10 mm | +2 mm |
| Jul | 17.8 °C | +0.5 °C | 13 mm | +7 mm |
| Aug | 22.3 °C | +2.0 °C | 33 mm | +19 mm |
| Sep | 24.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 55 mm | +27 mm |
| Oct | 25.1 °C | 0.0 °C | 80 mm | -4 mm |
| Nov | 22.9 °C | -2.4 °C | 262 mm | +142 mm |
| Dec | 24.9 °C | -1.0 °C | 128 mm | -10 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 Frankfort?
Frankfort has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.5 °C and it receives 784 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Frankfort?
The hottest day measured in Frankfort between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 39.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Frankfort?
The coldest day measured in Frankfort between 1940 and 2025 was 14 July 1990, at -6.5 °C.
Does it snow in Frankfort?
Almost never: Frankfort sees virtually no snow, with about 15 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Frankfort warmed?
Yes: Frankfort warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Frankfort?
The wettest day measured in Frankfort between 1940 and 2025 was 12 February 1996, with 101 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Frankfort?
The windiest day measured in Frankfort between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 49.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Frankfort?
The warmest month in Frankfort is January (20.0 °C on average); the coldest is June (8.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Frankfort?
Frankfort receives on average 784 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 106 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Frankfort?
Frankfort gets on average 10.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,833 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Frankfort?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Frankfort between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1996, with 10.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Frankfort?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Frankfort.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Frankfort?
In Frankfort, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.3 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -10.4 °C on 14 July 1990.
Compare Frankfort with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Frankfort