Pretoria climate — normals and trends
Pretoria (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.7 °C and it receives 689 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 (21.8 °C on average) and the coldest is June (11.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Pretoria averages 0 frost days, 40 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 97 rainy days per year.
Pretoria 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 38.1 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -2.2 °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
PretoriaGauteng
- coords
- -25.74°, 28.19°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.7°C
Average daily high
24.4°C
Average daily low
12.4°C
Annual rainfall
689mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
58%
Average peak wind
16.3km/h
Seasonal range
10.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
40 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
97 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
23.7 °C
Average feels-like low
10.7 °C
Average peak gust
33.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
4 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.3 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.32 · 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
38.1 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-2.2 °C
28 June 1964
Wettest day
120 mm
19 February 2025
Windiest day
41.6 km/h
19 October 1945
Strongest gust
86.0 km/h
28 September 2012
Hottest feels-like
38.1 °C
25 January 2013
Coldest feels-like
-6.7 °C
27 June 1964
Snowiest day
1.7 cm
10 September 1981
Sunniest day
13.6 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 | 27.5 °C | +0.1 °C | 266 mm | +153 mm |
| Feb | 26.7 °C | -0.3 °C | 319 mm | +219 mm |
| Mar | 25.5 °C | -0.4 °C | 124 mm | +45 mm |
| Apr | 22.0 °C | -1.7 °C | 122 mm | +71 mm |
| May | 21.5 °C | -0.1 °C | 5 mm | -12 mm |
| Jun | 19.8 °C | +0.7 °C | 1 mm | -6 mm |
| Jul | 19.7 °C | +0.4 °C | 4 mm | +1 mm |
| Aug | 24.0 °C | +1.8 °C | 15 mm | +8 mm |
| Sep | 27.4 °C | +1.6 °C | 41 mm | +20 mm |
| Oct | 26.9 °C | -0.2 °C | 61 mm | -3 mm |
| Nov | 24.1 °C | -2.6 °C | 177 mm | +73 mm |
| Dec | 25.6 °C | -1.4 °C | 158 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 Pretoria?
Pretoria has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.7 °C and it receives 689 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Pretoria?
The hottest day measured in Pretoria between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 38.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Pretoria?
The coldest day measured in Pretoria between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 1964, at -2.2 °C.
Does it snow in Pretoria?
Almost never: Pretoria sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Pretoria warmed?
Yes: Pretoria warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Pretoria?
The wettest day measured in Pretoria between 1940 and 2025 was 19 February 2025, with 120 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Pretoria?
The windiest day measured in Pretoria between 1940 and 2025 was 19 October 1945, with winds reaching 41.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Pretoria?
The warmest month in Pretoria is January (21.8 °C on average); the coldest is June (11.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Pretoria?
Pretoria receives on average 689 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 97 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Pretoria?
Pretoria 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 Pretoria?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Pretoria between 1940 and 2025 was 10 September 1981, with 1.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Pretoria?
Yes: Pretoria has on average 4 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Pretoria?
In Pretoria, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.1 °C on 25 January 2013, and the lowest was -6.7 °C on 27 June 1964.
Compare Pretoria with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Pretoria