Queenstown climate — normals and trends
Queenstown (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.6 °C and it receives 668 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 (20.3 °C on average) and the coldest is July (9.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Queenstown averages 11 frost days, 56 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 108 rainy days per year.
Queenstown 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 43.3 °C (on 5 January 2016) and the coldest -5.5 °C (on 15 June 1962).
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
QueenstownEastern Cape
- coords
- -31.90°, 26.88°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.6°C
Average daily high
23.4°C
Average daily low
9.7°C
Annual rainfall
668mm
Sunshine / day
9.8h
Mean relative humidity
64%
Average peak wind
17.8km/h
Seasonal range
10.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
11 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
56 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
108 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.4 cm
Average feels-like high
21.7 °C
Average feels-like low
8.0 °C
Average peak gust
40.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.9 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.46 · 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
43.3 °C
5 January 2016
Coldest day
-5.5 °C
15 June 1962
Wettest day
65 mm
18 February 1973
Windiest day
47.7 km/h
10 June 1979
Strongest gust
106.9 km/h
31 August 2008
Hottest feels-like
42.8 °C
5 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-9.4 °C
15 June 1962
Snowiest day
12.2 cm
25 July 2011
Sunniest day
13.9 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 | 29.4 °C | +1.6 °C | 84 mm | -16 mm |
| Feb | 27.6 °C | +0.6 °C | 100 mm | -7 mm |
| Mar | 26.5 °C | +0.8 °C | 133 mm | +48 mm |
| Apr | 21.9 °C | -1.1 °C | 70 mm | +20 mm |
| May | 22.3 °C | +1.7 °C | 7 mm | -14 mm |
| Jun | 19.2 °C | +1.2 °C | 51 mm | +38 mm |
| Jul | 18.5 °C | +0.3 °C | 18 mm | +5 mm |
| Aug | 22.2 °C | +2.0 °C | 16 mm | -2 mm |
| Sep | 23.5 °C | +0.6 °C | 35 mm | +1 mm |
| Oct | 26.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 40 mm | -21 mm |
| Nov | 27.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 67 mm | -8 mm |
| Dec | 28.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 145 mm | +55 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 Queenstown?
Queenstown has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.6 °C and it receives 668 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Queenstown?
The hottest day measured in Queenstown between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 2016, reaching 43.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Queenstown?
The coldest day measured in Queenstown between 1940 and 2025 was 15 June 1962, at -5.5 °C.
Does it snow in Queenstown?
Almost never: Queenstown sees virtually no snow, with about 11 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Queenstown warmed?
Yes: Queenstown warmed by +1.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Queenstown?
The wettest day measured in Queenstown between 1940 and 2025 was 18 February 1973, with 65 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Queenstown?
The windiest day measured in Queenstown between 1940 and 2025 was 10 June 1979, with winds reaching 47.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Queenstown?
The warmest month in Queenstown is January (20.3 °C on average); the coldest is July (9.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Queenstown?
Queenstown receives on average 668 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 108 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Queenstown?
Queenstown gets on average 9.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,577 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Queenstown?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Queenstown between 1940 and 2025 was 25 July 2011, with 12.2 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Queenstown?
Yes: Queenstown has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Queenstown?
In Queenstown, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 42.8 °C on 5 January 2016, and the lowest was -9.4 °C on 15 June 1962.
Compare Queenstown with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Queenstown