Knysna climate — normals and trends
Knysna (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 625 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 (19.7 °C on average) and the coldest is July (12.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in October.
Knysna averages 0 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 108 rainy days per year.
Knysna has warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.14 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 35.2 °C (on 14 March 1966) and the coldest 3.6 °C (on 13 June 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
KnysnaWestern Cape
- coords
- -34.04°, 23.05°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.0°C
Average daily high
19.6°C
Average daily low
13.3°C
Annual rainfall
625mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
21.0km/h
Seasonal range
7.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
108 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
19.2 °C
Average feels-like low
11.7 °C
Average peak gust
37.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
3 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.2 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.59 · 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
35.2 °C
14 March 1966
Coldest day
3.6 °C
13 June 1944
Wettest day
118 mm
26 March 1981
Windiest day
67.3 km/h
22 February 1944
Strongest gust
113.0 km/h
9 July 2002
Hottest feels-like
37.5 °C
2 February 1990
Coldest feels-like
-2.1 °C
13 June 1944
Snowiest day
1.0 cm
12 June 1945
Sunniest day
14.3 h
20 December 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23.3 °C | +0.4 °C | 51 mm | +6 mm |
| Feb | 23.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 38 mm | -15 mm |
| Mar | 22.8 °C | +0.7 °C | 38 mm | -19 mm |
| Apr | 20.6 °C | +0.3 °C | 67 mm | +10 mm |
| May | 19.9 °C | +1.1 °C | 20 mm | -31 mm |
| Jun | 17.6 °C | +0.3 °C | 59 mm | +12 mm |
| Jul | 17.3 °C | +0.6 °C | 37 mm | -9 mm |
| Aug | 17.3 °C | +0.4 °C | 15 mm | -43 mm |
| Sep | 18.7 °C | +1.2 °C | 20 mm | -29 mm |
| Oct | 19.7 °C | +1.1 °C | 44 mm | -20 mm |
| Nov | 21.6 °C | +1.6 °C | 33 mm | -23 mm |
| Dec | 22.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 31 mm | -14 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 Knysna?
Knysna has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 625 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Knysna?
The hottest day measured in Knysna between 1940 and 2025 was 14 March 1966, reaching 35.2 °C.
What is the coldest day in Knysna?
The coldest day measured in Knysna between 1940 and 2025 was 13 June 1944, at 3.6 °C.
Does it snow in Knysna?
Almost never: Knysna sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Knysna warmed?
Yes: Knysna warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Knysna?
The wettest day measured in Knysna between 1940 and 2025 was 26 March 1981, with 118 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Knysna?
The windiest day measured in Knysna between 1940 and 2025 was 22 February 1944, with winds reaching 67.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Knysna?
The warmest month in Knysna is February (19.7 °C on average); the coldest is July (12.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Knysna?
Knysna receives on average 625 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 108 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Knysna?
Knysna 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 Knysna?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Knysna between 1940 and 2025 was 12 June 1945, with 1.0 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Knysna?
Yes: Knysna has on average 3 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Knysna?
In Knysna, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.5 °C on 2 February 1990, and the lowest was -2.1 °C on 13 June 1944.
Compare Knysna with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Knysna