Potchefstroom climate — normals and trends
Potchefstroom (South Africa) has a humid subtropical, dry winter climate (Cwa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.3 °C and it receives 705 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 (22.2 °C on average) and the coldest is June (9.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Potchefstroom averages 10 frost days, 54 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 100 rainy days per year.
Potchefstroom has warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.14 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.7 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -5.6 °C (on 19 July 1995).
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
PotchefstroomNorth West
- coords
- -26.72°, 27.10°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.3°C
Average daily high
24.8°C
Average daily low
11.3°C
Annual rainfall
705mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
57%
Average peak wind
17.2km/h
Seasonal range
12.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
10 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
54 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
100 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.8 °C
Average feels-like low
9.2 °C
Average peak gust
35.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
4 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.5 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.2 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.21 · 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
39.7 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-5.6 °C
19 July 1995
Wettest day
111 mm
21 January 1947
Windiest day
44.1 km/h
23 August 2011
Strongest gust
91.8 km/h
9 September 2002
Hottest feels-like
39.2 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-10.5 °C
19 July 1995
Snowiest day
2.7 cm
7 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.7 h
12 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 | 29.1 °C | +0.7 °C | 130 mm | +3 mm |
| Feb | 27.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 267 mm | +156 mm |
| Mar | 26.1 °C | -0.3 °C | 124 mm | +40 mm |
| Apr | 22.6 °C | -1.4 °C | 129 mm | +78 mm |
| May | 21.8 °C | +0.3 °C | 6 mm | -11 mm |
| Jun | 19.4 °C | +0.7 °C | 7 mm | -1 mm |
| Jul | 19.9 °C | +0.9 °C | 9 mm | +5 mm |
| Aug | 24.9 °C | +2.9 °C | 2 mm | -8 mm |
| Sep | 27.8 °C | +1.8 °C | 30 mm | +11 mm |
| Oct | 27.9 °C | +0.3 °C | 67 mm | +5 mm |
| Nov | 25.7 °C | -2.2 °C | 133 mm | +40 mm |
| Dec | 27.6 °C | -0.7 °C | 147 mm | +28 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 Potchefstroom?
Potchefstroom has a humid subtropical, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.3 °C and it receives 705 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Potchefstroom?
The hottest day measured in Potchefstroom between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 39.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Potchefstroom?
The coldest day measured in Potchefstroom between 1940 and 2025 was 19 July 1995, at -5.6 °C.
Does it snow in Potchefstroom?
Almost never: Potchefstroom sees virtually no snow, with about 10 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Potchefstroom warmed?
Yes: Potchefstroom warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Potchefstroom?
The wettest day measured in Potchefstroom between 1940 and 2025 was 21 January 1947, with 111 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Potchefstroom?
The windiest day measured in Potchefstroom between 1940 and 2025 was 23 August 2011, with winds reaching 44.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Potchefstroom?
The warmest month in Potchefstroom is January (22.2 °C on average); the coldest is June (9.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Potchefstroom?
Potchefstroom receives on average 705 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 100 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Potchefstroom?
Potchefstroom 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 Potchefstroom?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Potchefstroom between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1996, with 2.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Potchefstroom?
Yes: Potchefstroom has on average 4 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Potchefstroom?
In Potchefstroom, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 39.2 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -10.5 °C on 19 July 1995.
Compare Potchefstroom with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Potchefstroom