Somerset East climate — normals and trends
Somerset East (South Africa) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.8 °C and it receives 592 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 (20.6 °C on average) and the coldest is July (10.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Somerset East averages 4 frost days, 48 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 92 rainy days per year.
Somerset East has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.20 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 40.8 °C (on 20 October 1952) and the coldest -3.3 °C (on 16 August 1948).
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
Somerset EastEastern Cape
- coords
- -32.72°, 25.59°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.8°C
Average daily high
22.9°C
Average daily low
10.1°C
Annual rainfall
592mm
Sunshine / day
10.0h
Mean relative humidity
64%
Average peak wind
18.1km/h
Seasonal range
10.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
4 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
48 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
92 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.5 cm
Average feels-like high
21.5 °C
Average feels-like low
8.3 °C
Average peak gust
41.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 d/yr
Solar radiation
18.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.7 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.50 · 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
40.8 °C
20 October 1952
Coldest day
-3.3 °C
16 August 1948
Wettest day
75 mm
15 November 1989
Windiest day
49.0 km/h
22 February 1944
Strongest gust
104.8 km/h
9 July 2002
Hottest feels-like
41.5 °C
11 January 1988
Coldest feels-like
-8.1 °C
13 June 1944
Snowiest day
10.3 cm
10 July 1963
Sunniest day
13.9 h
26 December 2005
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 | 30.5 °C | +2.7 °C | 43 mm | -23 mm |
| Feb | 28.4 °C | +1.2 °C | 72 mm | -8 mm |
| Mar | 27.0 °C | +1.4 °C | 109 mm | +31 mm |
| Apr | 22.8 °C | 0.0 °C | 80 mm | +29 mm |
| May | 22.8 °C | +2.3 °C | 16 mm | -16 mm |
| Jun | 18.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 53 mm | +30 mm |
| Jul | 18.4 °C | +0.3 °C | 20 mm | -2 mm |
| Aug | 20.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 21 mm | -7 mm |
| Sep | 22.5 °C | +1.1 °C | 22 mm | -12 mm |
| Oct | 25.4 °C | +2.5 °C | 31 mm | -24 mm |
| Nov | 27.3 °C | +2.6 °C | 44 mm | -20 mm |
| Dec | 29.6 °C | +2.8 °C | 54 mm | -5 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 Somerset East?
Somerset East has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.8 °C and it receives 592 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Somerset East?
The hottest day measured in Somerset East between 1940 and 2025 was 20 October 1952, reaching 40.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in Somerset East?
The coldest day measured in Somerset East between 1940 and 2025 was 16 August 1948, at -3.3 °C.
Does it snow in Somerset East?
Almost never: Somerset East sees virtually no snow, with about 4 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Somerset East warmed?
Yes: Somerset East warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Somerset East?
The wettest day measured in Somerset East between 1940 and 2025 was 15 November 1989, with 75 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Somerset East?
The windiest day measured in Somerset East between 1940 and 2025 was 22 February 1944, with winds reaching 49.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Somerset East?
The warmest month in Somerset East is January (20.6 °C on average); the coldest is July (10.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Somerset East?
Somerset East receives on average 592 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 92 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Somerset East?
Somerset East gets on average 10.0 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,650 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Somerset East?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Somerset East between 1940 and 2025 was 10 July 1963, with 10.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Somerset East?
Yes: Somerset East has on average 2 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Somerset East?
In Somerset East, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 41.5 °C on 11 January 1988, and the lowest was -8.1 °C on 13 June 1944.
Compare Somerset East with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Somerset East