Mossel Bay climate — normals and trends
Mossel Bay (South Africa) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.2 °C and it receives 483 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 (20.4 °C on average) and the coldest is August (14.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in August.
Mossel Bay averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 93 rainy days per year.
Mossel Bay has warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.11 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 31.1 °C (on 14 March 1966) and the coldest 7.4 °C (on 19 August 2003).
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
Mossel BayWestern Cape
- coords
- -34.18°, 22.15°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.2°C
Average daily high
18.8°C
Average daily low
15.9°C
Annual rainfall
483mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
26.3km/h
Seasonal range
6.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
93 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
18.6 °C
Average feels-like low
13.9 °C
Average peak gust
39.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
24 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.9 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.51 · 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
31.1 °C
14 March 1966
Coldest day
7.4 °C
19 August 2003
Wettest day
97 mm
21 November 1996
Windiest day
85.6 km/h
8 April 1956
Strongest gust
122.0 km/h
23 February 1944
Hottest feels-like
34.3 °C
14 March 1966
Coldest feels-like
-0.9 °C
19 August 2003
Sunniest day
14.3 h
14 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 | 22.4 °C | +0.9 °C | 44 mm | +10 mm |
| Feb | 22.1 °C | +0.4 °C | 21 mm | -19 mm |
| Mar | 21.0 °C | +0.1 °C | 35 mm | -8 mm |
| Apr | 19.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 51 mm | +5 mm |
| May | 18.8 °C | +0.5 °C | 22 mm | -21 mm |
| Jun | 17.4 °C | +0.2 °C | 46 mm | +6 mm |
| Jul | 17.0 °C | +0.5 °C | 40 mm | 0 mm |
| Aug | 16.8 °C | +0.5 °C | 13 mm | -35 mm |
| Sep | 17.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 17 mm | -17 mm |
| Oct | 18.4 °C | +0.8 °C | 23 mm | -23 mm |
| Nov | 20.0 °C | +1.2 °C | 20 mm | -21 mm |
| Dec | 21.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 23 mm | -9 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 Mossel Bay?
Mossel Bay has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.2 °C and it receives 483 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Mossel Bay?
The hottest day measured in Mossel Bay between 1940 and 2025 was 14 March 1966, reaching 31.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Mossel Bay?
The coldest day measured in Mossel Bay between 1940 and 2025 was 19 August 2003, at 7.4 °C.
Does it snow in Mossel Bay?
Almost never: Mossel Bay sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Mossel Bay warmed?
Yes: Mossel Bay warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Mossel Bay?
The wettest day measured in Mossel Bay between 1940 and 2025 was 21 November 1996, with 97 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Mossel Bay?
The windiest day measured in Mossel Bay between 1940 and 2025 was 8 April 1956, with winds reaching 85.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Mossel Bay?
The warmest month in Mossel Bay is February (20.4 °C on average); the coldest is August (14.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Mossel Bay?
Mossel Bay receives on average 483 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 93 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Mossel Bay?
Mossel Bay gets on average 10.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,905 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Mossel Bay?
Yes: Mossel Bay has on average 24 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Mossel Bay?
In Mossel Bay, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 34.3 °C on 14 March 1966, and the lowest was -0.9 °C on 19 August 2003.
Compare Mossel Bay with another city
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Nearby cities
The climate around Mossel Bay