East London climate
East London (South Africa) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C69 °F, and about 985 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
East London climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2576 | 2170 | 2373 | 1365.4 |
| Feb | 2577 | 2271 | 2374 | 1044.1 |
| Mar | 2577 | 2170 | 2373 | 983.9 |
| Apr | 2374 | 1967 | 2170 | 933.7 |
| May | 2272 | 1864 | 2068 | 341.3 |
| Jun | 2169 | 1660 | 1865 | 281.1 |
| Jul | 2069 | 1559 | 1864 | 401.6 |
| Aug | 2069 | 1560 | 1864 | 582.3 |
| Sep | 2169 | 1661 | 1965 | 652.6 |
| Oct | 2170 | 1763 | 1967 | 953.7 |
| Nov | 2272 | 1865 | 2069 | 1264.9 |
| Dec | 2374 | 2068 | 2271 | 1084.3 |
| Year | 2577 | 1559 | 2069 | 98539 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 56% | 6.5 | 14:06 |
| Feb | 81% | 56% | 6.0 | 13:19 |
| Mar | 80% | 50% | 5.0 | 12:23 |
| Apr | 77% | 51% | 3.9 | 11:19 |
| May | 73% | 47% | 3.0 | 10:26 |
| Jun | 69% | 40% | 2.7 | 9:59 |
| Jul | 68% | 39% | 2.9 | 10:10 |
| Aug | 72% | 43% | 3.6 | 10:55 |
| Sep | 75% | 49% | 4.7 | 11:56 |
| Oct | 78% | 57% | 5.5 | 12:59 |
| Nov | 79% | 57% | 6.3 | 13:53 |
| Dec | 81% | 56% | 6.6 | 14:19 |
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 East London is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 25 °C77 °F and a low of 22 °C71 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 20 °C69 °F and lows 15 °C59 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.8 °C10.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 985 mm39 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 38% of the annual total. The wettest month is January (136 mm5.4 in), the driest is June (28 mm1.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in July to 81% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 39%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 17 km/h (10 mph) in May to 20 km/h (12 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.0 hours in June to 14.3 hours in December.
Best time to visit East London
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–October: average highs of 20 °C69 °F to 25 °C77 °F with 28 mm1.1 in to 98 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
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.
What to pack for East London
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2374 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 2068 to 22 °C71 °F, about 116 mm4.6 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 2272 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 1864 to 21 °C70 °F, about 75 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 2069 to 21 °C69 °F, lows 1559 to 16 °C60 °F, about 42 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 2169 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 1661 to 18 °C65 °F, about 95 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 East London compares
Compared with Gqeberha, about 238 km to the southwest, East London is on average 1.7 °C3 °F warmer and receives 126% more precipitation (985 mm39 in vs 436 mm17 in). The difference is largest in May (2.1 °C3.7 °F warmer).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, East London is the 9th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 5th 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: Vitória da Conquista (Brazil, Aw), Port Macquarie (Australia, Cfa) and Jacareí (Brazil, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Mdantsane 16 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,002 mm39 in
- Queenstown 158 km · 16 °C61 °F · 725 mm29 in
- Mthatha 179 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,115 mm44 in
- Gqeberha 238 km · 19 °C66 °F · 436 mm17 in
- Maseru 413 km · 16 °C60 °F · 670 mm26 in
- Botshabelo 432 km · 16 °C61 °F · 560 mm22 in
- Pietermaritzburg 445 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,170 mm46 in
- Pinetown 454 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,407 mm55 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in East London?
February is the warmest month in East London, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (71 °F).
What is the coldest month in East London?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 20 °C (69 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
When does it rain the most in East London?
January is the wettest month with about 136 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 28 mm (1.1 in).
What is the best time to visit East London?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–October.
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.