Mthatha climate — normals and trends
Mthatha (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.6 °C and it receives 1,036 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 (19.4 °C on average) and the coldest is June (11.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Mthatha averages 1 frost days, 21 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 146 rainy days per year.
Mthatha has warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.22 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 2 to 0 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.1 °C (on 5 January 2016) and the coldest -2.3 °C (on 18 June 1971).
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
MthathaEastern Cape
- coords
- -31.59°, 28.78°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.6°C
Average daily high
22.1°C
Average daily low
10.9°C
Annual rainfall
1,036mm
Sunshine / day
8.8h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
14.7km/h
Seasonal range
8.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
21 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
146 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.2 cm
Average feels-like high
22.0 °C
Average feels-like low
9.7 °C
Average peak gust
33.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.9 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.55 · 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
39.1 °C
5 January 2016
Coldest day
-2.3 °C
18 June 1971
Wettest day
104 mm
18 February 1973
Windiest day
46.4 km/h
10 June 2025
Strongest gust
99.0 km/h
1 May 1972
Hottest feels-like
43.6 °C
7 January 2005
Coldest feels-like
-6.3 °C
18 June 1971
Snowiest day
5.2 cm
22 August 1998
Sunniest day
14.0 h
11 December 1941
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 | 25.7 °C | +1.0 °C | 125 mm | -20 mm |
| Feb | 24.1 °C | -0.5 °C | 166 mm | +20 mm |
| Mar | 25.1 °C | +1.1 °C | 175 mm | +47 mm |
| Apr | 21.3 °C | -1.0 °C | 132 mm | +55 mm |
| May | 22.4 °C | +1.6 °C | 19 mm | -13 mm |
| Jun | 19.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 102 mm | +80 mm |
| Jul | 19.0 °C | -0.2 °C | 43 mm | +22 mm |
| Aug | 21.5 °C | +0.9 °C | 18 mm | -15 mm |
| Sep | 21.7 °C | +0.1 °C | 48 mm | -10 mm |
| Oct | 23.7 °C | +1.8 °C | 61 mm | -41 mm |
| Nov | 23.5 °C | +0.9 °C | 126 mm | -6 mm |
| Dec | 24.4 °C | +0.6 °C | 166 mm | +26 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 Mthatha?
Mthatha has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.6 °C and it receives 1,036 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Mthatha?
The hottest day measured in Mthatha between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 2016, reaching 39.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Mthatha?
The coldest day measured in Mthatha between 1940 and 2025 was 18 June 1971, at -2.3 °C.
Does it snow in Mthatha?
Almost never: Mthatha sees virtually no snow, with about 1 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Mthatha warmed?
Yes: Mthatha warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Mthatha?
The wettest day measured in Mthatha between 1940 and 2025 was 18 February 1973, with 104 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Mthatha?
The windiest day measured in Mthatha between 1940 and 2025 was 10 June 2025, with winds reaching 46.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Mthatha?
The warmest month in Mthatha is February (19.4 °C on average); the coldest is June (11.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Mthatha?
Mthatha receives on average 1,036 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 146 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Mthatha?
Mthatha gets on average 8.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,212 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Mthatha?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Mthatha between 1940 and 2025 was 22 August 1998, with 5.2 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Mthatha?
Yes: Mthatha has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Mthatha?
In Mthatha, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.6 °C on 7 January 2005, and the lowest was -6.3 °C on 18 June 1971.
Compare Mthatha with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Mthatha