Mdantsane climate
Mdantsane (South Africa) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C65 °F, and about 1,002 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Mdantsane climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 1465.8 |
| Feb | 2781 | 1763 | 2272 | 1154.5 |
| Mar | 2679 | 1661 | 2170 | 1044.1 |
| Apr | 2475 | 1457 | 1966 | 833.3 |
| May | 2272 | 1253 | 1763 | 301.2 |
| Jun | 2068 | 949 | 1558 | 271.1 |
| Jul | 2068 | 948 | 1458 | 351.4 |
| Aug | 2170 | 1049 | 1560 | 562.2 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1152 | 1762 | 622.4 |
| Oct | 2474 | 1355 | 1865 | 1014.0 |
| Nov | 2576 | 1457 | 1967 | 1275.0 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1660 | 2169 | 1174.6 |
| Year | 2781 | 948 | 1865 | 1,00239 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 62% | 6.5 | 14:06 |
| Feb | 79% | 64% | 5.9 | 13:19 |
| Mar | 77% | 58% | 5.2 | 12:23 |
| Apr | 75% | 54% | 4.1 | 11:19 |
| May | 69% | 50% | 3.3 | 10:27 |
| Jun | 64% | 40% | 3.0 | 9:59 |
| Jul | 62% | 39% | 3.2 | 10:10 |
| Aug | 65% | 44% | 4.0 | 10:55 |
| Sep | 69% | 52% | 5.0 | 11:56 |
| Oct | 73% | 60% | 5.7 | 12:58 |
| Nov | 75% | 63% | 6.4 | 13:53 |
| Dec | 77% | 64% | 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 Mdantsane is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 27 °C81 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 20 °C68 °F and lows 9 °C48 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 7.8 °C14 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,002 mm39 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 39% of the annual total. The wettest month is January (146 mm5.8 in), the driest is June (27 mm1.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 62% in July to 79% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 39%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 11 km/h (7 mph) in April to 14 km/h (9 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.0 hours in June to 14.3 hours in December.
Best time to visit Mdantsane
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 24 °C75 °F with 27 mm1.1 in to 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is humid (78% 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.
What to pack for Mdantsane
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2679 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1660 to 17 °C63 °F, about 126 mm5.0 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 2272 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1253 to 16 °C61 °F, about 72 mm2.8 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.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 2068 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 948 to 10 °C49 °F, about 39 mm1.5 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.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 2373 to 25 °C76 °F, lows 1152 to 14 °C57 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Mdantsane compares
Compared with East London, about 16 km to the southeast, Mdantsane is on average 2 °C3.5 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in June (3.5 °C6.2 °F cooler).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Mdantsane is the 19th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th 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: Nova Friburgo (Brazil, Cfb), Sydney (Australia, Cfa) and Petrópolis (Brazil, Cfb).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Bhisho (pop. 137,287). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Mdantsane, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- East London 16 km · 20 °C69 °F · 985 mm39 in
- Queenstown 143 km · 16 °C61 °F · 725 mm29 in
- Mthatha 177 km · 17 °C63 °F · 1,115 mm44 in
- Gqeberha 231 km · 19 °C66 °F · 436 mm17 in
- Maseru 403 km · 16 °C60 °F · 670 mm26 in
- Botshabelo 420 km · 16 °C61 °F · 560 mm22 in
- Pietermaritzburg 445 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,170 mm46 in
- Bloemfontein 449 km · 17 °C63 °F · 490 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Mdantsane?
February is the warmest month in Mdantsane, with an average high of 27 °C (81 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in Mdantsane?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 20 °C (68 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (48 °F).
When does it rain the most in Mdantsane?
January is the wettest month with about 146 mm (5.8 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 27 mm (1.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Mdantsane?
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.