Nigel climate

South Africa · 26.43°S, 28.48°E · elevation 1,566 m · population 140,644

Warmest month
January
high 28 °C83 °F
Coldest month
July
low 1 °C34 °F
Wettest month
December
125 mm4.9 in
Best time to visit
February–May and August–November
by our comfort score
Annual precipitation
619 mm24 in
July driest
Year average
17 °C62 °F
subtropical highland (dry winter) (Cwb)

Nigel (South Africa) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C62 °F, and about 619 mm24 in of precipitation falls in an average year.

Temperature by month

Average highAverage low
-5°0°5°10°15°20°25°30°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND28°83°1°34°January: high 28 °C / 83 °F, low 14 °C / 58 °FFebruary: high 28 °C / 83 °F, low 14 °C / 57 °FMarch: high 27 °C / 80 °F, low 12 °C / 54 °FApril: high 24 °C / 74 °F, low 9 °C / 48 °FMay: high 21 °C / 69 °F, low 5 °C / 41 °FJune: high 17 °C / 63 °F, low 1 °C / 34 °FJuly: high 18 °C / 64 °F, low 1 °C / 34 °FAugust: high 21 °C / 70 °F, low 4 °C / 39 °FSeptember: high 26 °C / 79 °F, low 8 °C / 46 °FOctober: high 28 °C / 82 °F, low 11 °C / 52 °FNovember: high 28 °C / 82 °F, low 13 °C / 55 °FDecember: high 28 °C / 82 °F, low 14 °C / 57 °F

Precipitation by month

Precipitation per month (mminches)
025507510012501234JJanuary: 116 mm / 4.6 inFFebruary: 70 mm / 2.8 inMMarch: 70 mm / 2.7 inAApril: 39 mm / 1.5 inMMay: 11 mm / 0.4 inJJune: 6 mm / 0.2 inJJuly: 4 mm / 0.1 inAAugust: 9 mm / 0.3 inSSeptember: 15 mm / 0.6 inOOctober: 65 mm / 2.6 inNNovember: 90 mm / 3.5 inDDecember: 125 mm / 4.9 in1254.9

Nigel climate table

Monthly averages, 2001–2025
MonthHigh °C°FLow °C°FMean °C°FPrecip. mminFrost days
Jan2883145821701164.60
Feb288314572170702.80
Mar278012541967702.70
Apr24749481661391.50
May21695411355110.41
Jun176313494960.25
Jul186413494940.17
Aug2170439135590.33
Sep26798461763150.60
Oct288211521967652.60
Nov288213552068903.50
Dec2882145721701254.90
Year288313417626192416

“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.

Humidity, cloud, sun and daylight
MonthHumid.CloudSolarDaylight
Jan67%63%6.713:37
Feb65%60%6.313:02
Mar64%53%5.612:19
Apr64%47%4.711:30
May57%30%4.310:50
Jun57%26%4.010:29
Jul51%22%4.310:38
Aug46%24%5.011:12
Sep40%29%6.011:59
Oct51%47%6.512:46
Nov58%58%6.813:27
Dec64%66%6.813:47

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 Nigel is like

The warmest month is January, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 14 °C58 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 18 °C64 °F and lows 1 °C34 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 12 °C21.5 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.

Annual precipitation is moderate at about 619 mm24 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 (125 mm4.9 in), the driest is July (4 mm0.1 in).

Relative humidity ranges from 40% in September to 67% 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 Nigel

Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are February–May and August–November: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 9 mm0.3 in to 90 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.

What to pack for Nigel

  • Summer (December–February) — highs around 28 °C82 °F, lows around 14 °C57 °F, about 104 mm4.1 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 2169 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 541 to 12 °C54 °F, about 40 mm1.6 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 1763 to 21 °C70 °F, lows 134 to 4 °C39 °F, about 6 mm0.2 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 2679 to 28 °C82 °F, lows 846 to 13 °C55 °F, about 57 mm2.2 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 Nigel compares

Compared with Etwatwa, about 34 km to the north, Nigel has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.

Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Nigel is the 39th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 27th 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), Xichang (China, Cwa) and Río Cuarto (Argentina, Cwa).

Nearby places

  • Etwatwa 34 km · 17 °C62 °F · 626 mm25 in
  • Alberton 40 km · 17 °C63 °F · 586 mm23 in
  • Johannesburg 50 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
  • Thembisa 54 km · 17 °C62 °F · 642 mm25 in
  • eMbalenhle 60 km · 16 °C61 °F · 639 mm25 in
  • Soweto 64 km · 17 °C62 °F · 586 mm23 in
  • Roodepoort 67 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
  • Sasolburg 78 km · 17 °C63 °F · 550 mm22 in

All places in South Africa

Frequently asked questions

What is the warmest month in Nigel?

January is the warmest month in Nigel, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 14 °C (58 °F).

What is the coldest month in Nigel?

July is the coldest month, with an average high of 18 °C (64 °F) and an average low of 1 °C (34 °F).

When does it rain the most in Nigel?

December is the wettest month with about 125 mm (4.9 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 4 mm (0.1 in).

What is the best time to visit Nigel?

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.

Sources and method