Durban climate
Durban (South Africa) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 22 °C72 °F, and about 888 mm35 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Durban climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2578 | 2475 | 2476 | 1074.2 |
| Feb | 2678 | 2476 | 2577 | 843.3 |
| Mar | 2678 | 2475 | 2576 | 903.6 |
| Apr | 2476 | 2272 | 2374 | 652.6 |
| May | 2374 | 2170 | 2272 | 401.6 |
| Jun | 2272 | 1967 | 2169 | 271.1 |
| Jul | 2170 | 1966 | 2068 | 421.6 |
| Aug | 2170 | 1966 | 2068 | 361.4 |
| Sep | 2271 | 1967 | 2069 | 652.5 |
| Oct | 2272 | 2068 | 2170 | 1004.0 |
| Nov | 2373 | 2170 | 2271 | 1224.8 |
| Dec | 2475 | 2272 | 2374 | 1104.3 |
| Year | 2678 | 1966 | 2272 | 88835 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 63% | 6.2 | 13:52 |
| Feb | 81% | 59% | 5.9 | 13:10 |
| Mar | 80% | 55% | 5.2 | 12:21 |
| Apr | 77% | 51% | 4.1 | 11:24 |
| May | 73% | 36% | 3.5 | 10:38 |
| Jun | 69% | 32% | 3.1 | 10:14 |
| Jul | 70% | 32% | 3.3 | 10:24 |
| Aug | 74% | 40% | 3.8 | 11:03 |
| Sep | 78% | 53% | 4.4 | 11:58 |
| Oct | 81% | 65% | 5.0 | 12:52 |
| Nov | 82% | 71% | 5.5 | 13:40 |
| Dec | 83% | 70% | 6.0 | 14:03 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Durban is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 26 °C78 °F and a low of 24 °C76 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 21 °C70 °F and lows 19 °C66 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.1 °C9.1 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 888 mm35 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 38% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (122 mm4.8 in), the driest is June (27 mm1.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 69% in June to 83% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 32%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 19 km/h (12 mph) in May to 23 km/h (14 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.2 hours in June to 14.1 hours in December.
Best time to visit Durban
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 24 °C76 °F with 27 mm1.1 in to 65 mm2.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is humid (82% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Durban weather by month
- January25 °C78 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- February26 °C78 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- March26 °C78 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- April24 °C76 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- May23 °C74 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- June22 °C72 °F / 19 °C67 °F
- July21 °C70 °F / 19 °C66 °F
- August21 °C70 °F / 19 °C66 °F
- September22 °C71 °F / 19 °C67 °F
- October22 °C72 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- November23 °C73 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- December24 °C75 °F / 22 °C72 °F
What to pack for Durban
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2475 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 2272 to 24 °C76 °F, about 100 mm3.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 2374 to 26 °C78 °F, lows 2170 to 24 °C75 °F, about 65 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 2170 to 22 °C72 °F, lows around 19 °C66 °F, about 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 2271 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 1967 to 21 °C70 °F, about 96 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Durban compares
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Durban is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the South Africa climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Cabo Frio (Brazil, Aw), Vitória da Conquista (Brazil, Aw) and Volta Redonda (Brazil, Aw).
Nearby places
- Pinetown 14 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,407 mm55 in
- Ntuzuma 15 km · 21 °C70 °F · 699 mm28 in
- KwaDukuza 64 km · 21 °C71 °F · 699 mm28 in
- Pietermaritzburg 67 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,170 mm46 in
- Richards Bay 154 km · 23 °C73 °F · 681 mm27 in
- Ladysmith 189 km · 19 °C66 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Vryheid 233 km · 17 °C63 °F · 765 mm30 in
- Newcastle 257 km · 18 °C65 °F · 747 mm29 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Durban?
February is the warmest month in Durban, with an average high of 26 °C (78 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Durban?
August is the coldest month, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
When does it rain the most in Durban?
November is the wettest month with about 122 mm (4.8 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 27 mm (1.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Durban?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.