Makwassie climate — normals and trends
Makwassie (South Africa) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.7 °C and it receives 607 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 (23.2 °C on average) and the coldest is June (10.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Makwassie averages 8 frost days, 74 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 94 rainy days per year.
Makwassie has warmed by +0.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.07 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 6 to 10 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.1 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -6.0 °C (on 19 July 1995).
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
MakwassieNorth West
- coords
- -27.32°, 25.99°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.7°C
Average daily high
25.2°C
Average daily low
11.7°C
Annual rainfall
607mm
Sunshine / day
11.1h
Mean relative humidity
53%
Average peak wind
17.8km/h
Seasonal range
13.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
8 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
74 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
94 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.9 °C
Average feels-like low
9.4 °C
Average peak gust
36.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
9 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.6 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.06 · p = 0.027
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
40.1 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-6.0 °C
19 July 1995
Wettest day
84 mm
7 December 1954
Windiest day
50.1 km/h
11 August 1957
Strongest gust
91.8 km/h
11 August 2003
Hottest feels-like
39.5 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-10.9 °C
19 July 1995
Snowiest day
1.3 cm
7 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.7 h
9 December 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 | 31.4 °C | +1.9 °C | 63 mm | -47 mm |
| Feb | 29.3 °C | +0.8 °C | 133 mm | +34 mm |
| Mar | 26.8 °C | -0.3 °C | 101 mm | +24 mm |
| Apr | 22.8 °C | -1.5 °C | 131 mm | +81 mm |
| May | 22.5 °C | +1.0 °C | 0 mm | -17 mm |
| Jun | 19.9 °C | +1.3 °C | 5 mm | -3 mm |
| Jul | 20.4 °C | +1.6 °C | 6 mm | +1 mm |
| Aug | 24.6 °C | +2.8 °C | 5 mm | -5 mm |
| Sep | 28.2 °C | +2.4 °C | 27 mm | +9 mm |
| Oct | 29.0 °C | +1.1 °C | 58 mm | +7 mm |
| Nov | 27.0 °C | -1.7 °C | 141 mm | +69 mm |
| Dec | 28.8 °C | -0.7 °C | 116 mm | +25 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 Makwassie?
Makwassie has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.7 °C and it receives 607 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Makwassie?
The hottest day measured in Makwassie between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 40.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Makwassie?
The coldest day measured in Makwassie between 1940 and 2025 was 19 July 1995, at -6.0 °C.
Does it snow in Makwassie?
Almost never: Makwassie sees virtually no snow, with about 8 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Makwassie warmed?
Yes: Makwassie warmed by +0.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Makwassie?
The wettest day measured in Makwassie between 1940 and 2025 was 7 December 1954, with 84 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Makwassie?
The windiest day measured in Makwassie between 1940 and 2025 was 11 August 1957, with winds reaching 50.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Makwassie?
The warmest month in Makwassie is January (23.2 °C on average); the coldest is June (10.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Makwassie?
Makwassie receives on average 607 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 94 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Makwassie?
Makwassie gets on average 11.1 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,052 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Makwassie?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Makwassie between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1996, with 1.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Makwassie?
Yes: Makwassie has on average 9 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Makwassie?
In Makwassie, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.5 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -10.9 °C on 19 July 1995.
Compare Makwassie with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Makwassie