Johannesburg climate
Johannesburg (South Africa) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C60 °F, and about 642 mm25 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Johannesburg climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2780 | 1456 | 2068 | 1234.8 |
| Feb | 2780 | 1356 | 2068 | 823.2 |
| Mar | 2577 | 1253 | 1865 | 732.9 |
| Apr | 2272 | 847 | 1559 | 431.7 |
| May | 1967 | 440 | 1253 | 160.6 |
| Jun | 1661 | 134 | 947 | 70.3 |
| Jul | 1662 | 033 | 847 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 2068 | 338 | 1253 | 70.3 |
| Sep | 2577 | 745 | 1661 | 160.6 |
| Oct | 2780 | 1050 | 1865 | 572.2 |
| Nov | 2780 | 1253 | 1967 | 893.5 |
| Dec | 2780 | 1356 | 2068 | 1275.0 |
| Year | 2780 | 033 | 1660 | 64225 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | 63% | 6.7 | 13:36 |
| Feb | 64% | 60% | 6.3 | 13:01 |
| Mar | 63% | 53% | 5.6 | 12:19 |
| Apr | 62% | 47% | 4.7 | 11:30 |
| May | 54% | 30% | 4.3 | 10:51 |
| Jun | 55% | 26% | 4.0 | 10:30 |
| Jul | 49% | 22% | 4.3 | 10:39 |
| Aug | 44% | 24% | 5.0 | 11:12 |
| Sep | 39% | 29% | 6.0 | 11:59 |
| Oct | 48% | 47% | 6.5 | 12:46 |
| Nov | 57% | 58% | 6.8 | 13:27 |
| Dec | 63% | 66% | 6.8 | 13:46 |
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 Johannesburg is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 27 °C80 °F and a low of 14 °C56 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 16 °C62 °F and lows 0 °C33 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 11.7 °C21.1 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 642 mm25 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 53% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is December (127 mm5.0 in), the driest is July (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 39% in September to 65% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 22%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in March to 11 km/h (7 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 10.5 hours in June to 13.8 hours in December.
Best time to visit Johannesburg
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–May and August–November: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 27 °C80 °F with 7 mm0.3 in to 89 mm3.5 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.
Johannesburg weather by month
- January27 °C80 °F / 14 °C56 °F
- February27 °C80 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- March25 °C77 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- April22 °C72 °F / 8 °C47 °F
- May19 °C67 °F / 4 °C40 °F
- June16 °C61 °F / 1 °C34 °F
- July16 °C62 °F / 0 °C33 °F
- August20 °C68 °F / 3 °C38 °F
- September25 °C77 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- October27 °C80 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- November27 °C80 °F / 12 °C53 °F
- December27 °C80 °F / 13 °C56 °F
What to pack for Johannesburg
- Summer (December–February) — highs around 27 °C80 °F, lows 1356 to 14 °C56 °F, about 110 mm4.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 1967 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 440 to 12 °C53 °F, about 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 1661 to 20 °C68 °F, lows 033 to 3 °C38 °F, about 6 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 2577 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 745 to 12 °C53 °F, about 54 mm2.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Johannesburg compares
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Johannesburg is the 48th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 21st 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Maseru (Lesotho, Cwa), Haikou (China, Cwb) and Jianshui (China, Cwb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Benoni (pop. 605,344), Boksburg (pop. 445,168), Randburg (pop. 337,053), Brakpan (pop. 305,692) and Germiston (pop. 255,863). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Johannesburg, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Alberton 11 km · 17 °C63 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Roodepoort 18 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Soweto 20 km · 17 °C62 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Thembisa 29 km · 17 °C62 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Krugersdorp 30 km · 16 °C61 °F · 633 mm25 in
- Etwatwa 42 km · 17 °C62 °F · 626 mm25 in
- Nigel 50 km · 17 °C62 °F · 619 mm24 in
- Pretoria 53 km · 19 °C66 °F · 571 mm22 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Johannesburg?
January is the warmest month in Johannesburg, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (56 °F).
What is the coldest month in Johannesburg?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 16 °C (62 °F) and an average low of 0 °C (33 °F).
When does it rain the most in Johannesburg?
December is the wettest month with about 127 mm (5.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Johannesburg?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are February–May and August–November.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 1,538 m, while Johannesburg lies at about 1,767 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.5 °C2.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.