Polokwane climate — normals and trends
Polokwane (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.6 °C and it receives 669 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 (21.1 °C on average) and the coldest is July (12.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Polokwane averages 0 frost days, 31 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 93 rainy days per year.
Polokwane has warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.16 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.5 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -0.6 °C (on 10 June 1981).
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
PolokwaneLimpopo
- coords
- -23.90°, 29.47°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.6°C
Average daily high
24.1°C
Average daily low
12.4°C
Annual rainfall
669mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
64%
Average peak wind
14.3km/h
Seasonal range
9.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
31 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
93 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.9 °C
Average feels-like low
11.3 °C
Average peak gust
32.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.3 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.39 · 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
37.5 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-0.6 °C
10 June 1981
Wettest day
103 mm
28 December 2014
Windiest day
37.5 km/h
8 May 1970
Strongest gust
79.9 km/h
17 February 2017
Hottest feels-like
39.1 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-6.1 °C
13 June 1968
Snowiest day
0.1 cm
17 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.5 h
17 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 | 26.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 203 mm | +89 mm |
| Feb | 26.0 °C | -0.3 °C | 182 mm | +86 mm |
| Mar | 25.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 28 mm | -51 mm |
| Apr | 23.4 °C | -0.4 °C | 44 mm | -0 mm |
| May | 22.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 7 mm | -8 mm |
| Jun | 20.5 °C | +1.0 °C | 0 mm | -5 mm |
| Jul | 20.5 °C | +1.0 °C | 5 mm | +1 mm |
| Aug | 24.8 °C | +2.6 °C | 5 mm | -1 mm |
| Sep | 27.0 °C | +1.6 °C | 11 mm | -6 mm |
| Oct | 26.4 °C | 0.0 °C | 86 mm | +35 mm |
| Nov | 23.6 °C | -2.5 °C | 151 mm | +49 mm |
| Dec | 25.7 °C | -0.6 °C | 109 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 Polokwane?
Polokwane has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.6 °C and it receives 669 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Polokwane?
The hottest day measured in Polokwane between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 37.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Polokwane?
The coldest day measured in Polokwane between 1940 and 2025 was 10 June 1981, at -0.6 °C.
Does it snow in Polokwane?
Almost never: Polokwane sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Polokwane warmed?
Yes: Polokwane warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Polokwane?
The wettest day measured in Polokwane between 1940 and 2025 was 28 December 2014, with 103 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Polokwane?
The windiest day measured in Polokwane between 1940 and 2025 was 8 May 1970, with winds reaching 37.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Polokwane?
The warmest month in Polokwane is January (21.1 °C on average); the coldest is July (12.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Polokwane?
Polokwane receives on average 669 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 93 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Polokwane?
Polokwane gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Polokwane?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Polokwane between 1940 and 2025 was 17 July 1996, with 0.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Polokwane?
Yes: Polokwane has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Polokwane?
In Polokwane, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.1 °C on 7 January 2016, and the lowest was -6.1 °C on 13 June 1968.
Compare Polokwane with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Polokwane