Phalaborwa climate — normals and trends
Phalaborwa (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 22.7 °C and it receives 460 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 (26.2 °C on average) and the coldest is July (17.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Phalaborwa averages 0 frost days, 153 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 62 rainy days per year.
Phalaborwa 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 45.0 °C (on 28 October 2019) and the coldest 3.3 °C (on 28 June 1964).
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
PhalaborwaLimpopo
- coords
- -23.94°, 31.14°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
22.7°C
Average daily high
29.0°C
Average daily low
17.6°C
Annual rainfall
460mm
Sunshine / day
9.8h
Mean relative humidity
62%
Average peak wind
17.8km/h
Seasonal range
8.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
153 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
62 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
29.6 °C
Average feels-like low
17.4 °C
Average peak gust
35.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
127 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+0.9 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.20 · 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
45.0 °C
28 October 2019
Coldest day
3.3 °C
28 June 1964
Wettest day
155 mm
20 January 2013
Windiest day
61.2 km/h
13 March 1941
Strongest gust
109.1 km/h
28 January 1976
Hottest feels-like
47.9 °C
26 February 1992
Coldest feels-like
-0.1 °C
28 June 1964
Sunniest day
13.5 h
30 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 | 31.8 °C | +0.3 °C | 209 mm | +121 mm |
| Feb | 31.1 °C | -0.2 °C | 85 mm | +11 mm |
| Mar | 32.1 °C | +1.4 °C | 12 mm | -33 mm |
| Apr | 29.7 °C | +0.6 °C | 16 mm | -8 mm |
| May | 28.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 2 mm | -9 mm |
| Jun | 26.9 °C | +1.6 °C | 0 mm | -5 mm |
| Jul | 26.0 °C | +1.0 °C | 2 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 29.4 °C | +2.6 °C | 1 mm | -4 mm |
| Sep | 30.7 °C | +1.6 °C | 11 mm | -3 mm |
| Oct | 31.0 °C | +0.9 °C | 17 mm | -15 mm |
| Nov | 29.5 °C | -1.1 °C | 78 mm | +12 mm |
| Dec | 30.1 °C | -1.1 °C | 89 mm | -4 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 Phalaborwa?
Phalaborwa has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 22.7 °C and it receives 460 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Phalaborwa?
The hottest day measured in Phalaborwa between 1940 and 2025 was 28 October 2019, reaching 45.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Phalaborwa?
The coldest day measured in Phalaborwa between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 1964, at 3.3 °C.
Does it snow in Phalaborwa?
Almost never: Phalaborwa sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Phalaborwa warmed?
Yes: Phalaborwa warmed by +0.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Phalaborwa?
The wettest day measured in Phalaborwa between 1940 and 2025 was 20 January 2013, with 155 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Phalaborwa?
The windiest day measured in Phalaborwa between 1940 and 2025 was 13 March 1941, with winds reaching 61.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Phalaborwa?
The warmest month in Phalaborwa is January (26.2 °C on average); the coldest is July (17.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Phalaborwa?
Phalaborwa receives on average 460 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 62 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Phalaborwa?
Phalaborwa gets on average 9.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,577 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Phalaborwa?
Yes: Phalaborwa has on average 127 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Phalaborwa?
In Phalaborwa, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 47.9 °C on 26 February 1992, and the lowest was -0.1 °C on 28 June 1964.
Compare Phalaborwa with another city
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Nearby cities
The climate around Phalaborwa