Mahikeng climate — normals and trends
Mahikeng (South Africa) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 18.0 °C and it receives 579 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 (22.7 °C on average) and the coldest is June (10.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Mahikeng averages 5 frost days, 61 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 90 rainy days per year.
Mahikeng has warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.08 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.5 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -4.8 °C (on 9 July 2024).
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
MahikengNorth West
- coords
- -25.87°, 25.64°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
18.0°C
Average daily high
25.0°C
Average daily low
12.2°C
Annual rainfall
579mm
Sunshine / day
11.0h
Mean relative humidity
55%
Average peak wind
18.9km/h
Seasonal range
11.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
5 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
61 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
90 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.9 °C
Average feels-like low
9.8 °C
Average peak gust
38.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
9 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.7 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.08 · p = 0.010
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
39.5 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-4.8 °C
9 July 2024
Wettest day
122 mm
14 April 1948
Windiest day
46.6 km/h
21 July 1963
Strongest gust
83.2 km/h
7 June 2011
Hottest feels-like
39.1 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-9.3 °C
9 July 2024
Sunniest day
13.6 h
13 December 2023
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 | 27.9 °C | -0.7 °C | 124 mm | +25 mm |
| Feb | 26.6 °C | -1.2 °C | 280 mm | +181 mm |
| Mar | 25.4 °C | -1.1 °C | 112 mm | +39 mm |
| Apr | 22.3 °C | -1.8 °C | 125 mm | +76 mm |
| May | 21.2 °C | -0.6 °C | 8 mm | -8 mm |
| Jun | 19.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 3 mm | -4 mm |
| Jul | 19.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 3 mm | -1 mm |
| Aug | 23.9 °C | +1.7 °C | 1 mm | -6 mm |
| Sep | 27.9 °C | +1.8 °C | 15 mm | +1 mm |
| Oct | 28.1 °C | +0.1 °C | 46 mm | -2 mm |
| Nov | 25.9 °C | -2.3 °C | 81 mm | +12 mm |
| Dec | 27.0 °C | -1.5 °C | 128 mm | +34 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 Mahikeng?
Mahikeng has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.0 °C and it receives 579 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Mahikeng?
The hottest day measured in Mahikeng between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 39.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Mahikeng?
The coldest day measured in Mahikeng between 1940 and 2025 was 9 July 2024, at -4.8 °C.
Does it snow in Mahikeng?
Almost never: Mahikeng sees virtually no snow, with about 5 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Mahikeng warmed?
Yes: Mahikeng warmed by +0.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Mahikeng?
The wettest day measured in Mahikeng between 1940 and 2025 was 14 April 1948, with 122 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Mahikeng?
The windiest day measured in Mahikeng between 1940 and 2025 was 21 July 1963, with winds reaching 46.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Mahikeng?
The warmest month in Mahikeng is January (22.7 °C on average); the coldest is June (10.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Mahikeng?
Mahikeng receives on average 579 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 90 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Mahikeng?
Mahikeng gets on average 11.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,015 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Mahikeng?
Yes: Mahikeng has on average 9 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Mahikeng?
In Mahikeng, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.1 °C on 7 January 2016, and the lowest was -9.3 °C on 9 July 2024.
Compare Mahikeng with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Mahikeng