Rustenburg climate — normals and trends
Rustenburg (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 18.4 °C and it receives 608 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 (22.9 °C on average) and the coldest is June (11.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Rustenburg averages 1 frost days, 62 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 92 rainy days per year.
Rustenburg 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 40.4 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -2.0 °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
RustenburgNorth West
- coords
- -25.67°, 27.24°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
18.4°C
Average daily high
25.1°C
Average daily low
12.8°C
Annual rainfall
608mm
Sunshine / day
10.8h
Mean relative humidity
56%
Average peak wind
14.4km/h
Seasonal range
11.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
1 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
62 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
92 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
24.6 °C
Average feels-like low
11.4 °C
Average peak gust
33.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
12 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.2 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
40.4 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-2.0 °C
28 June 1964
Wettest day
171 mm
9 February 2000
Windiest day
37.4 km/h
19 October 1945
Strongest gust
85.7 km/h
6 March 1997
Hottest feels-like
40.7 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-6.4 °C
9 July 2024
Snowiest day
0.3 cm
18 July 1965
Sunniest day
13.6 h
17 December 2024
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 | 28.2 °C | -0.3 °C | 192 mm | +90 mm |
| Feb | 27.3 °C | -0.6 °C | 265 mm | +167 mm |
| Mar | 26.0 °C | -0.7 °C | 82 mm | +13 mm |
| Apr | 22.5 °C | -1.8 °C | 112 mm | +67 mm |
| May | 21.7 °C | -0.4 °C | 5 mm | -10 mm |
| Jun | 20.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 2 mm | -4 mm |
| Jul | 19.8 °C | +0.2 °C | 3 mm | +0 mm |
| Aug | 24.5 °C | +2.0 °C | 0 mm | -6 mm |
| Sep | 27.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 18 mm | +1 mm |
| Oct | 27.7 °C | -0.3 °C | 43 mm | -6 mm |
| Nov | 25.0 °C | -2.9 °C | 107 mm | +23 mm |
| Dec | 26.5 °C | -1.6 °C | 186 mm | +72 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 Rustenburg?
Rustenburg has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 18.4 °C and it receives 608 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Rustenburg?
The hottest day measured in Rustenburg between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 40.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Rustenburg?
The coldest day measured in Rustenburg between 1940 and 2025 was 28 June 1964, at -2.0 °C.
Does it snow in Rustenburg?
Almost never: Rustenburg sees virtually no snow, with about 1 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Rustenburg warmed?
Yes: Rustenburg warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Rustenburg?
The wettest day measured in Rustenburg between 1940 and 2025 was 9 February 2000, with 171 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Rustenburg?
The windiest day measured in Rustenburg between 1940 and 2025 was 19 October 1945, with winds reaching 37.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Rustenburg?
The warmest month in Rustenburg is January (22.9 °C on average); the coldest is June (11.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Rustenburg?
Rustenburg receives on average 608 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 92 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Rustenburg?
Rustenburg gets on average 10.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,942 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Rustenburg?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Rustenburg between 1940 and 2025 was 18 July 1965, with 0.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Rustenburg?
Yes: Rustenburg has on average 12 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Rustenburg?
In Rustenburg, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 40.7 °C on 7 January 2016, and the lowest was -6.4 °C on 9 July 2024.
Compare Rustenburg with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Rustenburg