Northam climate — normals and trends

Q: What is the climate of Northam?

Northam has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.0 °C and it receives 618 mm of precipitation per year.

Q: What is the hottest day ever recorded in Northam?

The hottest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 42.0 °C.

Q: What is the coldest day in Northam?

The coldest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 1972, at -1.0 °C.

Q: Does it snow in Northam?

Almost never: Northam sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.

Q: Has the climate of Northam warmed?

Yes: Northam warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

Q: What is the wettest day in Northam?

The wettest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 4 February 1956, with 105 mm of rain in 24 hours.

Q: What was the windiest day in Northam?

The windiest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 28 September 2012, with winds reaching 38.6 km/h.

Q: What is the warmest month in Northam?

The warmest month in Northam is January (24.5 °C on average); the coldest is July (12.9 °C).

Q: How much does it rain in Northam?

Northam receives on average 618 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 84 rainy days.

Q: Is it sunny in Northam?

Northam gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.

Northam (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 20.0 °C and it receives 618 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 (24.5 °C on average) and the coldest is July (12.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.

Northam averages 0 frost days, 100 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 84 rainy days per year.

Northam has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.

The hottest day of the period reached 42.0 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -1.0 °C (on 2 August 1972).

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

NorthamLimpopo

coords: -24.96°, 27.27°
period: 1940–2025 · 86 yrs

BShHot semi-aridWarmest monthJanuaryColdest monthJulyWettest monthDecemberDriest monthJuly

Mean daily temperature

20.0°C

Average daily high

26.7°C

Average daily low

14.4°C

Annual rainfall

618mm

Sunshine / day

10.9h

Mean relative humidity

55%

Average peak wind

13.1km/h

Seasonal range

11.6°C

Frost days (< 0 °C)

0 d/yr

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

100 d/yr

Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)

84 d/yr

Annual snowfall

0.0 cm

Average feels-like high

26.8 °C

Average feels-like low

13.4 °C

Average peak gust

29.4 km/h

Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)

53 d/yr

Solar radiation

20.3 MJ/m²

Has the climate changed?

One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025

+1.1 °C

since 1940

+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.17 · p = < 0.001

19402025

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

42.0 °C

7 January 2016

Coldest day

-1.0 °C

2 August 1972

Wettest day

105 mm

4 February 1956

Windiest day

38.6 km/h

28 September 2012

Strongest gust

80.3 km/h

28 September 2012

Hottest feels-like

41.8 °C

7 January 2016

Coldest feels-like

-4.9 °C

2 August 1972

Sunniest day

13.6 h

19 December 1941

Year	Hottest day	Coldest day	Annual mean	Rainfall	Hot days	Frost days
2025	35.9 °C26 October 2025	1.9 °C28 June 2025	19.8 °C	985 mm	88	0
2024	39.8 °C4 December 2024	-0.5 °C9 July 2024	21.8 °C	291 mm	164	1
2023	38.1 °C8 October 2023	1.1 °C31 July 2023	20.9 °C	421 mm	148	0
2022	37.7 °C4 October 2022	2.2 °C16 June 2022	20.1 °C	701 mm	99	0
2021	36.7 °C16 November 2021	0.8 °C22 July 2021	20.0 °C	748 mm	94	0
2020	38.2 °C19 October 2020	0.6 °C16 July 2020	20.2 °C	514 mm	107	0
2019	38.7 °C21 October 2019	0.4 °C3 July 2019	21.9 °C	406 mm	161	0
2018	38.4 °C7 January 2018	3.2 °C3 July 2018	21.3 °C	433 mm	143	0
2017	38.2 °C7 November 2017	2.6 °C9 June 2017	20.5 °C	708 mm	109	0
2016	42.0 °C7 January 2016	1.7 °C28 July 2016	22.0 °C	499 mm	166	0
2015	40.0 °C10 November 2015	2.3 °C18 June 2015	22.3 °C	252 mm	177	0
2014	37.3 °C9 October 2014	-0.3 °C7 June 2014	20.2 °C	700 mm	100	1
2013	38.1 °C12 October 2013	3.7 °C16 June 2013	21.0 °C	415 mm	147	0
2012	37.7 °C21 November 2012	2.2 °C11 June 2012	20.6 °C	475 mm	130	0
2011	38.9 °C13 November 2011	2.1 °C26 June 2011	19.8 °C	679 mm	85	0
2010	37.6 °C13 February 2010	0.3 °C17 June 2010	20.6 °C	553 mm	132	0
2009	36.0 °C18 December 2009	1.5 °C27 June 2009	19.7 °C	663 mm	89	0
2008	37.4 °C3 November 2008	2.2 °C11 July 2008	20.0 °C	561 mm	89	0
2007	36.4 °C4 February 2007	-0.1 °C24 May 2007	20.2 °C	421 mm	109	1
2006	36.9 °C25 October 2006	1.7 °C23 May 2006	19.4 °C	689 mm	58	0
2005	39.3 °C3 November 2005	3.7 °C8 July 2005	20.9 °C	502 mm	124	0
2004	36.4 °C15 January 2004	1.5 °C29 July 2004	19.7 °C	665 mm	93	0
2003	37.5 °C15 December 2003	2.2 °C21 August 2003	21.0 °C	327 mm	156	0
2002	36.9 °C19 October 2002	1.1 °C18 July 2002	20.1 °C	349 mm	115	0
2001	38.1 °C11 January 2001	0.4 °C25 July 2001	19.6 °C	701 mm	94	0
2000	35.0 °C19 October 2000	-0.3 °C21 July 2000	18.8 °C	964 mm	58	2
1999	36.4 °C4 November 1999	3.1 °C20 June 1999	20.0 °C	485 mm	79	0
1998	37.7 °C15 November 1998	1.6 °C9 July 1998	20.2 °C	583 mm	109	0
1997	37.1 °C7 November 1997	1.7 °C30 May 1997	19.4 °C	674 mm	86	0
1996	36.6 °C3 November 1996	0.2 °C8 July 1996	19.4 °C	753 mm	72	0
1995	38.1 °C11 October 1995	0.8 °C19 July 1995	20.1 °C	781 mm	103	0
1994	36.0 °C22 December 1994	0.8 °C1 July 1994	19.4 °C	406 mm	80	0
1993	37.3 °C31 October 1993	1.3 °C21 June 1993	20.5 °C	423 mm	96	0
1992	39.6 °C27 February 1992	1.6 °C10 August 1992	21.3 °C	331 mm	165	0
1991	35.7 °C8 October 1991	2.0 °C28 July 1991	20.0 °C	616 mm	101	0
1990	37.9 °C14 November 1990	0.4 °C14 July 1990	20.4 °C	425 mm	124	0
1989	37.2 °C1 November 1989	0.5 °C19 July 1989	19.7 °C	593 mm	79	0
1988	38.3 °C31 January 1988	0.8 °C10 June 1988	20.1 °C	604 mm	107	0
1987	37.3 °C20 February 1987	1.3 °C22 July 1987	20.9 °C	536 mm	140	0
1986	35.8 °C16 December 1986	3.4 °C25 July 1986	20.7 °C	516 mm	115	0
1985	37.1 °C11 December 1985	0.2 °C13 July 1985	20.6 °C	619 mm	113	0
1984	39.0 °C29 December 1984	3.3 °C20 June 1984	20.4 °C	429 mm	125	0
1983	37.9 °C11 January 1983	1.9 °C27 June 1983	20.8 °C	540 mm	132	0
1982	39.0 °C28 December 1982	0.7 °C16 June 1982	20.1 °C	488 mm	111	0
1981	38.5 °C6 November 1981	1.3 °C17 June 1981	19.0 °C	667 mm	64	0
1980	36.2 °C2 January 1980	1.3 °C15 August 1980	19.0 °C	585 mm	60	0
1979	35.8 °C7 January 1979	0.1 °C25 July 1979	19.9 °C	601 mm	119	0
1978	35.6 °C25 November 1978	-0.2 °C20 June 1978	19.1 °C	700 mm	53	1
1977	35.7 °C15 January 1977	1.8 °C1 July 1977	19.3 °C	843 mm	71	0
1976	34.1 °C18 December 1976	-0.6 °C21 June 1976	18.3 °C	730 mm	39	1
1975	35.3 °C16 October 1975	2.0 °C25 July 1975	18.7 °C	778 mm	60	0
1974	34.7 °C5 November 1974	0.3 °C2 August 1974	18.7 °C	661 mm	43	0
1973	38.4 °C19 January 1973	3.3 °C5 July 1973	20.1 °C	751 mm	111	0
1972	37.3 °C1 December 1972	-1.0 °C2 August 1972	19.6 °C	605 mm	84	1
1971	35.4 °C25 December 1971	1.1 °C18 July 1971	19.2 °C	709 mm	70	0
1970	37.2 °C1 March 1970	2.2 °C23 July 1970	20.6 °C	664 mm	137	0
1969	38.2 °C14 January 1969	0.8 °C19 June 1969	19.8 °C	656 mm	90	0
1968	37.3 °C4 January 1968	-0.7 °C15 June 1968	19.4 °C	491 mm	107	1
1967	35.8 °C16 November 1967	-0.6 °C13 June 1967	18.7 °C	748 mm	58	1
1966	36.4 °C2 January 1966	3.6 °C22 May 1966	19.8 °C	703 mm	88	0
1965	37.1 °C2 November 1965	0.3 °C23 June 1965	19.7 °C	318 mm	102	0
1964	37.7 °C26 February 1964	-0.1 °C25 June 1964	20.2 °C	538 mm	134	2
1963	36.1 °C29 December 1963	0.6 °C16 August 1963	19.6 °C	554 mm	97	0
1962	37.6 °C17 October 1962	1.9 °C15 June 1962	20.1 °C	836 mm	122	0
1961	37.7 °C24 October 1961	3.8 °C12 June 1961	19.6 °C	844 mm	84	0
1960	36.0 °C2 November 1960	2.5 °C26 July 1960	19.4 °C	802 mm	96	0
1959	37.5 °C17 October 1959	3.6 °C20 June 1959	19.5 °C	608 mm	94	0
1958	34.9 °C23 November 1958	1.5 °C16 June 1958	19.3 °C	1,136 mm	56	0
1957	36.7 °C21 November 1957	-0.3 °C20 June 1957	19.3 °C	753 mm	59	1
1956	36.1 °C2 February 1956	1.7 °C11 June 1956	19.4 °C	874 mm	53	0
1955	34.7 °C9 October 1955	-0.8 °C29 June 1955	18.4 °C	819 mm	43	1
1954	38.9 °C25 October 1954	-0.4 °C28 July 1954	21.2 °C	237 mm	171	1
1953	38.5 °C31 October 1953	-0.1 °C30 July 1953	20.0 °C	630 mm	95	1
1952	39.1 °C20 November 1952	3.0 °C27 July 1952	20.3 °C	631 mm	100	0
1951	38.4 °C12 January 1951	1.5 °C12 July 1951	19.8 °C	791 mm	94	0
1950	37.2 °C30 December 1950	2.3 °C1 August 1950	19.9 °C	626 mm	92	0
1949	39.3 °C9 January 1949	3.7 °C22 July 1949	20.0 °C	605 mm	110	0
1948	36.2 °C24 November 1948	1.5 °C23 July 1948	19.2 °C	785 mm	76	0
1947	38.1 °C4 November 1947	1.4 °C12 July 1947	19.2 °C	939 mm	73	0
1946	38.0 °C29 October 1946	1.3 °C7 July 1946	19.4 °C	744 mm	74	0
1945	37.0 °C7 November 1945	1.4 °C9 July 1945	19.7 °C	720 mm	70	0
1944	37.0 °C31 October 1944	2.4 °C9 July 1944	19.4 °C	761 mm	60	0
1943	35.9 °C10 October 1943	2.2 °C21 July 1943	19.4 °C	709 mm	47	0
1942	34.5 °C24 October 1942	0.8 °C20 July 1942	19.3 °C	787 mm	47	0
1941	38.4 °C16 October 1941	2.0 °C30 June 1941	21.4 °C	336 mm	152	0
1940	37.9 °C12 November 1940	0.7 °C3 July 1940	21.0 °C	379 mm	134	0

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?

Year

Across the whole year

Average daily high

26.3 °C

-0.4 °C

Hot days (≥ 30 °C)

88 d/yr

-12

Frost days (< 0 °C)

0 d/yr

Annual rainfall

985 mm

+367 mm

Month by month

	High	vs. normal	Precipitation	vs. normal
Jan	28.9 °C	-1.1 °C	249 mm	+142 mm
Feb	28.4 °C	-0.9 °C	268 mm	+169 mm
Mar	27.6 °C	-0.6 °C	45 mm	-33 mm
Apr	24.5 °C	-1.4 °C	118 mm	+70 mm
May	23.0 °C	-0.6 °C	12 mm	-4 mm
Jun	21.3 °C	+0.5 °C	0 mm	-6 mm
Jul	21.5 °C	+0.5 °C	1 mm	-2 mm
Aug	26.3 °C	+2.1 °C	0 mm	-4 mm
Sep	29.9 °C	+1.7 °C	16 mm	-0 mm
Oct	29.8 °C	-0.2 °C	28 mm	-20 mm
Nov	26.7 °C	-3.1 °C	120 mm	+36 mm
Dec	28.2 °C	-1.5 °C	130 mm	+19 mm

The year's extremes

Hottest day

35.9 °C

26 Oct 2025

Coldest day

1.9 °C

28 Jun 2025

Wettest day

49.6 mm

19 Feb 2025

Windiest day

26.8 km/h

9 Jun 2025

Strongest gust

52.2 km/h

9 Jun 2025

Hottest feels-like

38.4 °C

13 Nov 2025

Coldest feels-like

-1.8 °C

28 Jun 2025

Sunniest day

13.5 h

5 Dec 2025

What was the weather like that day?

Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.

Date

Frequently asked questions

What is the climate of Northam?

Northam has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 20.0 °C and it receives 618 mm of precipitation per year.

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Northam?

The hottest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 42.0 °C.

What is the coldest day in Northam?

The coldest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 1972, at -1.0 °C.

Does it snow in Northam?

Almost never: Northam sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.

Has the climate of Northam warmed?

Yes: Northam warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.

What is the wettest day in Northam?

The wettest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 4 February 1956, with 105 mm of rain in 24 hours.

What was the windiest day in Northam?

The windiest day measured in Northam between 1940 and 2025 was 28 September 2012, with winds reaching 38.6 km/h.

What is the warmest month in Northam?

The warmest month in Northam is January (24.5 °C on average); the coldest is July (12.9 °C).

How much does it rain in Northam?

Northam receives on average 618 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 84 rainy days.

Is it sunny in Northam?

Northam gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.

Are there tropical nights in Northam?

Yes: Northam has on average 53 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.

What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Northam?

In Northam, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.8 °C on 7 January 2016, and the lowest was -4.9 °C on 2 August 1972.

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