Ladysmith climate — normals and trends
Ladysmith (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.1 °C and it receives 1,089 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 (21.3 °C on average) and the coldest is June (11.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Ladysmith averages 3 frost days, 60 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 135 rainy days per year.
Ladysmith has warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.24 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.9 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -6.7 °C (on 12 June 1956).
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
LadysmithKwaZulu-Natal
- coords
- -28.56°, 29.78°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.1°C
Average daily high
24.6°C
Average daily low
11.4°C
Annual rainfall
1,089mm
Sunshine / day
9.9h
Mean relative humidity
65%
Average peak wind
15.1km/h
Seasonal range
10.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
3 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
60 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
135 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.6 cm
Average feels-like high
24.3 °C
Average feels-like low
10.1 °C
Average peak gust
32.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.0 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.57 · 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
40.9 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-6.7 °C
12 June 1956
Wettest day
114 mm
11 February 1996
Windiest day
46.2 km/h
2 August 2006
Strongest gust
90.0 km/h
2 August 2006
Hottest feels-like
42.9 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-11.0 °C
12 June 1956
Snowiest day
7.8 cm
7 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.8 h
15 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 | 28.7 °C | +0.9 °C | 207 mm | +25 mm |
| Feb | 27.0 °C | -0.4 °C | 205 mm | +53 mm |
| Mar | 26.9 °C | +0.4 °C | 203 mm | +78 mm |
| Apr | 23.1 °C | -1.1 °C | 181 mm | +117 mm |
| May | 23.5 °C | +1.4 °C | 3 mm | -21 mm |
| Jun | 20.9 °C | +1.3 °C | 19 mm | +5 mm |
| Jul | 20.9 °C | +1.0 °C | 20 mm | +7 mm |
| Aug | 24.6 °C | +2.3 °C | 23 mm | -5 mm |
| Sep | 25.4 °C | +0.1 °C | 98 mm | +49 mm |
| Oct | 26.8 °C | +0.7 °C | 74 mm | -34 mm |
| Nov | 25.7 °C | -1.0 °C | 181 mm | +37 mm |
| Dec | 27.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 254 mm | +68 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 Ladysmith?
Ladysmith has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.1 °C and it receives 1,089 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Ladysmith?
The hottest day measured in Ladysmith between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 40.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Ladysmith?
The coldest day measured in Ladysmith between 1940 and 2025 was 12 June 1956, at -6.7 °C.
Does it snow in Ladysmith?
Almost never: Ladysmith sees virtually no snow, with about 3 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Ladysmith warmed?
Yes: Ladysmith warmed by +2.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Ladysmith?
The wettest day measured in Ladysmith between 1940 and 2025 was 11 February 1996, with 114 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Ladysmith?
The windiest day measured in Ladysmith between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 2006, with winds reaching 46.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Ladysmith?
The warmest month in Ladysmith is January (21.3 °C on average); the coldest is June (11.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Ladysmith?
Ladysmith receives on average 1,089 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 135 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Ladysmith?
Ladysmith gets on average 9.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,614 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Ladysmith?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Ladysmith between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1996, with 7.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Ladysmith?
Yes: Ladysmith has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Ladysmith?
In Ladysmith, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.9 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -11.0 °C on 12 June 1956.
Compare Ladysmith with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Ladysmith