Kimberley climate — normals and trends
Kimberley (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 18.3 °C and it receives 492 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 (25.2 °C on average) and the coldest is June (10.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Kimberley averages 12 frost days, 118 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 75 rainy days per year.
Kimberley has warmed by +0.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.06 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 8 to 16 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 42.3 °C (on 5 January 2016) and the coldest -6.7 °C (on 26 June 1992).
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
KimberleyNorthern Cape
- coords
- -28.73°, 24.76°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
18.3°C
Average daily high
26.3°C
Average daily low
11.7°C
Annual rainfall
492mm
Sunshine / day
11.2h
Mean relative humidity
48%
Average peak wind
17.7km/h
Seasonal range
15.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
12 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
118 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
75 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
24.8 °C
Average feels-like low
9.2 °C
Average peak gust
36.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
25 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.5 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.05 · p = 0.045
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
42.3 °C
5 January 2016
Coldest day
-6.7 °C
26 June 1992
Wettest day
93 mm
31 January 1967
Windiest day
47.2 km/h
11 August 1957
Strongest gust
95.4 km/h
11 August 2003
Hottest feels-like
41.8 °C
6 January 1995
Coldest feels-like
-11.0 °C
26 June 1992
Snowiest day
1.7 cm
2 August 2006
Sunniest day
13.7 h
28 November 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 | 34.4 °C | +2.1 °C | 53 mm | -27 mm |
| Feb | 31.2 °C | +0.3 °C | 102 mm | +22 mm |
| Mar | 28.9 °C | -0.2 °C | 62 mm | -5 mm |
| Apr | 23.7 °C | -1.6 °C | 138 mm | +91 mm |
| May | 22.2 °C | +0.3 °C | 1 mm | -18 mm |
| Jun | 19.5 °C | +0.8 °C | 5 mm | -6 mm |
| Jul | 20.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 5 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 23.9 °C | +2.1 °C | 18 mm | +9 mm |
| Sep | 27.8 °C | +1.8 °C | 22 mm | +6 mm |
| Oct | 29.6 °C | +0.9 °C | 33 mm | -3 mm |
| Nov | 30.1 °C | -0.2 °C | 69 mm | +9 mm |
| Dec | 32.0 °C | -0.1 °C | 80 mm | +18 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 Kimberley?
Kimberley has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.3 °C and it receives 492 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Kimberley?
The hottest day measured in Kimberley between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 2016, reaching 42.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Kimberley?
The coldest day measured in Kimberley between 1940 and 2025 was 26 June 1992, at -6.7 °C.
Does it snow in Kimberley?
Almost never: Kimberley sees virtually no snow, with about 12 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Kimberley warmed?
Yes: Kimberley warmed by +0.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Kimberley?
The wettest day measured in Kimberley between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 1967, with 93 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Kimberley?
The windiest day measured in Kimberley between 1940 and 2025 was 11 August 1957, with winds reaching 47.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Kimberley?
The warmest month in Kimberley is January (25.2 °C on average); the coldest is June (10.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Kimberley?
Kimberley receives on average 492 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 75 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Kimberley?
Kimberley gets on average 11.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,088 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Kimberley?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Kimberley between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 2006, with 1.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Kimberley?
Yes: Kimberley has on average 25 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Kimberley?
In Kimberley, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.8 °C on 6 January 1995, and the lowest was -11.0 °C on 26 June 1992.
Compare Kimberley with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Kimberley