Richmond climate — normals and trends
Richmond (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 1,055 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 (19.7 °C on average) and the coldest is June (11.2 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Richmond averages 1 frost days, 23 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 161 rainy days per year.
Richmond has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.5 °C (on 5 November 1981) and the coldest -1.8 °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
RichmondKwaZulu-Natal
- coords
- -29.87°, 30.27°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.0°C
Average daily high
22.6°C
Average daily low
11.4°C
Annual rainfall
1,055mm
Sunshine / day
8.8h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
13.2km/h
Seasonal range
8.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
23 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
161 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.7 cm
Average feels-like high
22.9 °C
Average feels-like low
10.4 °C
Average peak gust
32.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °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
37.5 °C
5 November 1981
Coldest day
-1.8 °C
19 July 1995
Wettest day
177 mm
28 September 1987
Windiest day
36.8 km/h
10 June 2025
Strongest gust
96.8 km/h
13 June 1997
Hottest feels-like
41.4 °C
13 December 1997
Coldest feels-like
-6.6 °C
29 June 1994
Snowiest day
4.8 cm
27 June 2007
Sunniest day
13.9 h
23 December 2023
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 | 26.5 °C | +1.5 °C | 177 mm | +30 mm |
| Feb | 25.0 °C | -0.1 °C | 117 mm | -23 mm |
| Mar | 25.3 °C | +0.8 °C | 137 mm | +15 mm |
| Apr | 21.7 °C | -1.0 °C | 154 mm | +77 mm |
| May | 22.7 °C | +1.5 °C | 27 mm | -8 mm |
| Jun | 20.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 56 mm | +34 mm |
| Jul | 19.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 33 mm | +8 mm |
| Aug | 23.8 °C | +2.6 °C | 17 mm | -22 mm |
| Sep | 22.4 °C | 0.0 °C | 93 mm | +28 mm |
| Oct | 23.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 107 mm | +4 mm |
| Nov | 23.0 °C | -0.2 °C | 155 mm | +26 mm |
| Dec | 24.6 °C | +0.2 °C | 194 mm | +44 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 Richmond?
Richmond has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.0 °C and it receives 1,055 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Richmond?
The hottest day measured in Richmond between 1940 and 2025 was 5 November 1981, reaching 37.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Richmond?
The coldest day measured in Richmond between 1940 and 2025 was 19 July 1995, at -1.8 °C.
Does it snow in Richmond?
Almost never: Richmond sees virtually no snow, with about 1 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Richmond warmed?
Yes: Richmond warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Richmond?
The wettest day measured in Richmond between 1940 and 2025 was 28 September 1987, with 177 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Richmond?
The windiest day measured in Richmond between 1940 and 2025 was 10 June 2025, with winds reaching 36.8 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Richmond?
The warmest month in Richmond is January (19.7 °C on average); the coldest is June (11.2 °C).
How much does it rain in Richmond?
Richmond receives on average 1,055 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 161 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Richmond?
Richmond gets on average 8.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,212 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Richmond?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Richmond between 1940 and 2025 was 27 June 2007, with 4.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Richmond?
Yes: Richmond has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Richmond?
In Richmond, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.4 °C on 13 December 1997, and the lowest was -6.6 °C on 29 June 1994.
Compare Richmond with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Richmond