Riversdale climate — normals and trends
Riversdale (South Africa) has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 16.3 °C and it receives 369 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 (21.0 °C on average) and the coldest is July (11.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in April.
Riversdale averages 0 frost days, 31 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 71 rainy days per year.
Riversdale has warmed by +2.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.25 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 43.0 °C (on 7 December 2002) and the coldest -2.6 °C (on 29 July 1946).
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
RiversdaleWestern Cape
- coords
- -34.09°, 21.26°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
16.3°C
Average daily high
22.8°C
Average daily low
11.5°C
Annual rainfall
369mm
Sunshine / day
10.3h
Mean relative humidity
70%
Average peak wind
18.1km/h
Seasonal range
9.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
31 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
71 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
22.1 °C
Average feels-like low
10.3 °C
Average peak gust
39.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
3 d/yr
Solar radiation
17.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.2 °C
since 1940
+0.3 °C per decade · r² = 0.74 · 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
43.0 °C
7 December 2002
Coldest day
-2.6 °C
29 July 1946
Wettest day
155 mm
24 March 2003
Windiest day
52.0 km/h
2 December 1943
Strongest gust
113.4 km/h
24 March 2003
Hottest feels-like
44.3 °C
23 January 2022
Coldest feels-like
-6.9 °C
29 July 1946
Snowiest day
0.5 cm
21 August 1954
Sunniest day
14.3 h
20 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 | 27.8 °C | +0.4 °C | 22 mm | -4 mm |
| Feb | 27.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 11 mm | -21 mm |
| Mar | 27.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 39 mm | +3 mm |
| Apr | 24.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 51 mm | +14 mm |
| May | 22.7 °C | +1.8 °C | 16 mm | -15 mm |
| Jun | 19.2 °C | +0.5 °C | 27 mm | +1 mm |
| Jul | 18.3 °C | +0.2 °C | 21 mm | -7 mm |
| Aug | 20.3 °C | +1.4 °C | 11 mm | -22 mm |
| Sep | 22.7 °C | +2.1 °C | 9 mm | -17 mm |
| Oct | 24.6 °C | +2.2 °C | 11 mm | -26 mm |
| Nov | 26.4 °C | +2.1 °C | 16 mm | -17 mm |
| Dec | 27.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 10 mm | -15 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 Riversdale?
Riversdale has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 16.3 °C and it receives 369 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Riversdale?
The hottest day measured in Riversdale between 1940 and 2025 was 7 December 2002, reaching 43.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Riversdale?
The coldest day measured in Riversdale between 1940 and 2025 was 29 July 1946, at -2.6 °C.
Does it snow in Riversdale?
Almost never: Riversdale sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Riversdale warmed?
Yes: Riversdale warmed by +2.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Riversdale?
The wettest day measured in Riversdale between 1940 and 2025 was 24 March 2003, with 155 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Riversdale?
The windiest day measured in Riversdale between 1940 and 2025 was 2 December 1943, with winds reaching 52.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Riversdale?
The warmest month in Riversdale is January (21.0 °C on average); the coldest is July (11.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Riversdale?
Riversdale receives on average 369 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 71 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Riversdale?
Riversdale gets on average 10.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,760 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Riversdale?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Riversdale between 1940 and 2025 was 21 August 1954, with 0.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Riversdale?
Yes: Riversdale has on average 3 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Riversdale?
In Riversdale, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.3 °C on 23 January 2022, and the lowest was -6.9 °C on 29 July 1946.
Compare Riversdale with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Riversdale