Somerset West climate — normals and trends
Somerset West (South Africa) has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Csb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.8 °C and it receives 684 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 February (20.2 °C on average) and the coldest is July (11.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Somerset West averages 0 frost days, 3 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 83 rainy days per year.
Somerset West has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 34.0 °C (on 15 November 2000) and the coldest 2.7 °C (on 9 August 1968).
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 WestWestern Cape
- coords
- -34.08°, 18.82°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.8°C
Average daily high
19.7°C
Average daily low
12.8°C
Annual rainfall
684mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
75%
Average peak wind
20.1km/h
Seasonal range
8.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
3 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
83 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
19.1 °C
Average feels-like low
11.0 °C
Average peak gust
39.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
2 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.52 · 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
34.0 °C
15 November 2000
Coldest day
2.7 °C
9 August 1968
Wettest day
74 mm
23 July 1994
Windiest day
60.1 km/h
2 December 1943
Strongest gust
136.4 km/h
15 May 1984
Hottest feels-like
37.8 °C
23 January 1979
Coldest feels-like
-2.4 °C
20 July 1943
Snowiest day
0.6 cm
20 August 2003
Sunniest day
14.1 h
11 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 | 24.1 °C | -0.1 °C | 13 mm | -6 mm |
| Feb | 24.7 °C | +0.2 °C | 1 mm | -18 mm |
| Mar | 23.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 18 mm | -7 mm |
| Apr | 21.8 °C | +1.1 °C | 35 mm | -15 mm |
| May | 18.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 82 mm | -8 mm |
| Jun | 15.9 °C | -0.1 °C | 144 mm | +22 mm |
| Jul | 15.2 °C | 0.0 °C | 119 mm | +14 mm |
| Aug | 15.6 °C | +0.1 °C | 95 mm | -2 mm |
| Sep | 18.3 °C | +1.5 °C | 27 mm | -34 mm |
| Oct | 19.7 °C | +0.9 °C | 25 mm | -18 mm |
| Nov | 23.8 °C | +2.9 °C | 4 mm | -27 mm |
| Dec | 24.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 11 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 Somerset West?
Somerset West has a warm-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.8 °C and it receives 684 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Somerset West?
The hottest day measured in Somerset West between 1940 and 2025 was 15 November 2000, reaching 34.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Somerset West?
The coldest day measured in Somerset West between 1940 and 2025 was 9 August 1968, at 2.7 °C.
Does it snow in Somerset West?
Almost never: Somerset West sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Somerset West warmed?
Yes: Somerset West warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Somerset West?
The wettest day measured in Somerset West between 1940 and 2025 was 23 July 1994, with 74 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Somerset West?
The windiest day measured in Somerset West between 1940 and 2025 was 2 December 1943, with winds reaching 60.1 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Somerset West?
The warmest month in Somerset West is February (20.2 °C on average); the coldest is July (11.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Somerset West?
Somerset West receives on average 684 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 83 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Somerset West?
Somerset West gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Somerset West?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Somerset West between 1940 and 2025 was 20 August 2003, with 0.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Somerset West?
Yes: Somerset West 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 West?
In Somerset West, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.8 °C on 23 January 1979, and the lowest was -2.4 °C on 20 July 1943.
Compare Somerset West with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Somerset West