Phuthaditjhaba climate — normals and trends
Phuthaditjhaba (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 12.4 °C and it receives 1,043 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 (17.0 °C on average) and the coldest is June (5.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Phuthaditjhaba averages 40 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 127 rainy days per year.
Phuthaditjhaba has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 36.1 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -10.8 °C (on 13 July 1988).
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
PhuthaditjhabaFree State
- coords
- -28.52°, 28.82°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
12.4°C
Average daily high
19.3°C
Average daily low
7.1°C
Annual rainfall
1,043mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
66%
Average peak wind
17.0km/h
Seasonal range
11.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
40 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
127 d/yr
Annual snowfall
6.9 cm
Average feels-like high
17.6 °C
Average feels-like low
4.7 °C
Average peak gust
41.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.52 · 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
36.1 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-10.8 °C
13 July 1988
Wettest day
93 mm
2 November 1942
Windiest day
45.1 km/h
9 September 1977
Strongest gust
110.5 km/h
12 October 1995
Hottest feels-like
35.1 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-15.5 °C
13 July 1988
Snowiest day
28.5 cm
5 August 1973
Sunniest day
13.8 h
16 December 2025
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 | 24.0 °C | +1.2 °C | 130 mm | -41 mm |
| Feb | 23.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 195 mm | +58 mm |
| Mar | 22.1 °C | +0.8 °C | 196 mm | +91 mm |
| Apr | 18.2 °C | -0.7 °C | 225 mm | +165 mm |
| May | 18.5 °C | +1.8 °C | 3 mm | -22 mm |
| Jun | 15.2 °C | +1.0 °C | 25 mm | +12 mm |
| Jul | 14.3 °C | 0.0 °C | 31 mm | +19 mm |
| Aug | 18.8 °C | +2.2 °C | 11 mm | -18 mm |
| Sep | 20.2 °C | +0.4 °C | 67 mm | +21 mm |
| Oct | 21.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 74 mm | -48 mm |
| Nov | 20.3 °C | -1.2 °C | 227 mm | +73 mm |
| Dec | 22.4 °C | -0.2 °C | 125 mm | -44 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 Phuthaditjhaba?
Phuthaditjhaba has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.4 °C and it receives 1,043 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Phuthaditjhaba?
The hottest day measured in Phuthaditjhaba between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 36.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Phuthaditjhaba?
The coldest day measured in Phuthaditjhaba between 1940 and 2025 was 13 July 1988, at -10.8 °C.
Does it snow in Phuthaditjhaba?
Yes. Phuthaditjhaba gets on average 6.9 cm of snow per year and has around 40 frost days.
Has the climate of Phuthaditjhaba warmed?
Yes: Phuthaditjhaba warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Phuthaditjhaba?
The wettest day measured in Phuthaditjhaba between 1940 and 2025 was 2 November 1942, with 93 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Phuthaditjhaba?
The windiest day measured in Phuthaditjhaba between 1940 and 2025 was 9 September 1977, with winds reaching 45.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Phuthaditjhaba?
The warmest month in Phuthaditjhaba is January (17.0 °C on average); the coldest is June (5.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Phuthaditjhaba?
Phuthaditjhaba receives on average 1,043 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 127 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Phuthaditjhaba?
Phuthaditjhaba gets on average 10.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,905 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Phuthaditjhaba?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Phuthaditjhaba between 1940 and 2025 was 5 August 1973, with 28.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Phuthaditjhaba?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Phuthaditjhaba.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Phuthaditjhaba?
In Phuthaditjhaba, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 35.1 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -15.5 °C on 13 July 1988.
Compare Phuthaditjhaba with another city
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Nearby cities
The climate around Phuthaditjhaba