Makhanda climate — normals and trends
Makhanda (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.8 °C and it receives 559 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 (20.8 °C on average) and the coldest is July (12.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Makhanda averages 0 frost days, 47 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 93 rainy days per year.
Makhanda has warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 43.4 °C (on 12 December 1965) and the coldest -0.4 °C (on 10 July 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
MakhandaEastern Cape
- coords
- -33.30°, 26.53°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.8°C
Average daily high
23.5°C
Average daily low
11.8°C
Annual rainfall
559mm
Sunshine / day
9.5h
Mean relative humidity
70%
Average peak wind
20.5km/h
Seasonal range
8.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
47 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
93 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
22.3 °C
Average feels-like low
10.4 °C
Average peak gust
42.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
4 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.4 °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
43.4 °C
12 December 1965
Coldest day
-0.4 °C
10 July 1944
Wettest day
80 mm
2 September 1968
Windiest day
54.9 km/h
5 June 1987
Strongest gust
116.6 km/h
3 August 1991
Hottest feels-like
44.2 °C
5 January 1995
Coldest feels-like
-4.9 °C
18 July 1954
Snowiest day
0.5 cm
8 August 1992
Sunniest day
14.0 h
29 November 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 | 28.7 °C | +1.4 °C | 49 mm | -7 mm |
| Feb | 27.2 °C | +0.1 °C | 60 mm | -8 mm |
| Mar | 27.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 66 mm | -0 mm |
| Apr | 23.6 °C | -0.2 °C | 98 mm | +50 mm |
| May | 24.2 °C | +2.2 °C | 11 mm | -19 mm |
| Jun | 20.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 53 mm | +30 mm |
| Jul | 20.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 21 mm | -1 mm |
| Aug | 21.9 °C | +1.1 °C | 10 mm | -23 mm |
| Sep | 22.7 °C | +0.8 °C | 28 mm | -13 mm |
| Oct | 25.2 °C | +2.5 °C | 23 mm | -36 mm |
| Nov | 26.9 °C | +2.7 °C | 20 mm | -39 mm |
| Dec | 28.5 °C | +2.3 °C | 49 mm | -5 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 Makhanda?
Makhanda has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.8 °C and it receives 559 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Makhanda?
The hottest day measured in Makhanda between 1940 and 2025 was 12 December 1965, reaching 43.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Makhanda?
The coldest day measured in Makhanda between 1940 and 2025 was 10 July 1944, at -0.4 °C.
Does it snow in Makhanda?
Almost never: Makhanda sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Makhanda warmed?
Yes: Makhanda warmed by +1.4 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Makhanda?
The wettest day measured in Makhanda between 1940 and 2025 was 2 September 1968, with 80 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Makhanda?
The windiest day measured in Makhanda between 1940 and 2025 was 5 June 1987, with winds reaching 54.9 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Makhanda?
The warmest month in Makhanda is January (20.8 °C on average); the coldest is July (12.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Makhanda?
Makhanda receives on average 559 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 93 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Makhanda?
Makhanda gets on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,468 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Makhanda?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Makhanda between 1940 and 2025 was 8 August 1992, with 0.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Makhanda?
Yes: Makhanda has on average 4 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Makhanda?
In Makhanda, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.2 °C on 5 January 1995, and the lowest was -4.9 °C on 18 July 1954.
Compare Makhanda with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Makhanda