Pietermaritzburg climate — normals and trends
Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.9 °C and it receives 961 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 (20.6 °C on average) and the coldest is June (12.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Pietermaritzburg averages 0 frost days, 37 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 148 rainy days per year.
Pietermaritzburg has warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.22 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.8 °C (on 4 January 2025) and the coldest -1.0 °C (on 29 June 1994).
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
PietermaritzburgKwaZulu-Natal
- coords
- -29.62°, 30.39°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.9°C
Average daily high
23.6°C
Average daily low
12.3°C
Annual rainfall
961mm
Sunshine / day
9.0h
Mean relative humidity
76%
Average peak wind
13.3km/h
Seasonal range
8.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
37 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
148 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.2 cm
Average feels-like high
23.9 °C
Average feels-like low
11.7 °C
Average peak gust
32.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
4 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 = 0.59 · 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
39.8 °C
4 January 2025
Coldest day
-1.0 °C
29 June 1994
Wettest day
143 mm
28 September 1987
Windiest day
36.0 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
96.5 km/h
27 June 2007
Hottest feels-like
43.1 °C
24 December 2015
Coldest feels-like
-5.1 °C
29 June 1994
Snowiest day
2.5 cm
27 June 2007
Sunniest day
13.9 h
23 December 2022
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 | 27.6 °C | +1.5 °C | 154 mm | +17 mm |
| Feb | 25.9 °C | -0.2 °C | 115 mm | -15 mm |
| Mar | 26.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 133 mm | +26 mm |
| Apr | 22.6 °C | -1.1 °C | 134 mm | +66 mm |
| May | 23.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 26 mm | -4 mm |
| Jun | 21.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 26 mm | +7 mm |
| Jul | 21.0 °C | +0.5 °C | 26 mm | +4 mm |
| Aug | 24.3 °C | +2.3 °C | 16 mm | -18 mm |
| Sep | 23.3 °C | +0.1 °C | 96 mm | +35 mm |
| Oct | 23.6 °C | +0.1 °C | 87 mm | -9 mm |
| Nov | 23.7 °C | -0.5 °C | 116 mm | -4 mm |
| Dec | 25.6 °C | +0.1 °C | 171 mm | +34 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 Pietermaritzburg?
Pietermaritzburg has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.9 °C and it receives 961 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Pietermaritzburg?
The hottest day measured in Pietermaritzburg between 1940 and 2025 was 4 January 2025, reaching 39.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Pietermaritzburg?
The coldest day measured in Pietermaritzburg between 1940 and 2025 was 29 June 1994, at -1.0 °C.
Does it snow in Pietermaritzburg?
Almost never: Pietermaritzburg sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Pietermaritzburg warmed?
Yes: Pietermaritzburg warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Pietermaritzburg?
The wettest day measured in Pietermaritzburg between 1940 and 2025 was 28 September 1987, with 143 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Pietermaritzburg?
The windiest day measured in Pietermaritzburg between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 36.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Pietermaritzburg?
The warmest month in Pietermaritzburg is January (20.6 °C on average); the coldest is June (12.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Pietermaritzburg?
Pietermaritzburg receives on average 961 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 148 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Pietermaritzburg?
Pietermaritzburg gets on average 9.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,285 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Pietermaritzburg?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Pietermaritzburg between 1940 and 2025 was 27 June 2007, with 2.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Pietermaritzburg?
Yes: Pietermaritzburg has on average 4 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Pietermaritzburg?
In Pietermaritzburg, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.1 °C on 24 December 2015, and the lowest was -5.1 °C on 29 June 1994.
Compare Pietermaritzburg with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Pietermaritzburg