Paarl climate
Paarl (South Africa) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C64 °F, and about 727 mm29 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Paarl climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3188 | 1762 | 2475 | 190.7 |
| Feb | 3188 | 1763 | 2475 | 120.5 |
| Mar | 2984 | 1660 | 2272 | 200.8 |
| Apr | 2578 | 1356 | 1967 | 481.9 |
| May | 2170 | 1151 | 1661 | 753.0 |
| Jun | 1763 | 847 | 1355 | 1425.6 |
| Jul | 1762 | 745 | 1254 | 1275.0 |
| Aug | 1762 | 846 | 1254 | 1214.8 |
| Sep | 1967 | 948 | 1457 | 612.4 |
| Oct | 2373 | 1152 | 1763 | 421.6 |
| Nov | 2679 | 1355 | 1967 | 411.6 |
| Dec | 2985 | 1560 | 2272 | 190.7 |
| Year | 3188 | 745 | 1864 | 72729 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | 25% | 8.4 | 14:09 |
| Feb | 55% | 25% | 7.5 | 13:21 |
| Mar | 58% | 26% | 6.1 | 12:23 |
| Apr | 62% | 32% | 4.5 | 11:17 |
| May | 70% | 41% | 3.1 | 10:24 |
| Jun | 78% | 41% | 2.6 | 9:55 |
| Jul | 80% | 38% | 2.9 | 10:07 |
| Aug | 81% | 41% | 3.7 | 10:53 |
| Sep | 79% | 40% | 5.0 | 11:56 |
| Oct | 71% | 35% | 6.6 | 13:00 |
| Nov | 64% | 32% | 7.9 | 13:56 |
| Dec | 58% | 27% | 8.5 | 14:23 |
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 Paarl is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 31 °C88 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 17 °C62 °F and lows 7 °C45 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 12 °C21.6 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 727 mm29 in. The wettest three-month stretch is June–August, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: December–February. The wettest month is June (142 mm5.6 in), the driest is February (12 mm0.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 55% in January to 81% in August. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 25%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in July to 13 km/h (8 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.9 hours in June to 14.4 hours in December.
Best time to visit Paarl
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–May and September–December: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 19 mm0.7 in to 75 mm3.0 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 Paarl
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2985 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 1560 to 17 °C63 °F, about 17 mm0.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 2170 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 1151 to 16 °C60 °F, about 48 mm1.9 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 around 17 °C62 °F, lows 745 to 8 °C47 °F, about 130 mm5.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (September–November) — highs 1967 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 948 to 13 °C55 °F, about 48 mm1.9 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.
How Paarl compares
Compared with Cape Town, about 55 km to the southwest, Paarl is on average 0.9 °C1.6 °F warmer and receives 49% more precipitation (727 mm29 in vs 489 mm19 in). The difference is largest in January (4 °C7.2 °F warmer).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Paarl is the 24th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 12th 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): Mandurah (Australia, Csa), Nice (France, Csa) and Adelaide (Australia, Csa).
Nearby places
- Somerset West 41 km · 18 °C64 °F · 734 mm29 in
- Worcester 45 km · 18 °C65 °F · 671 mm26 in
- Cape Town 55 km · 17 °C63 °F · 489 mm19 in
- George 323 km · 17 °C63 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Gqeberha 614 km · 19 °C66 °F · 436 mm17 in
- Queenstown 766 km · 16 °C61 °F · 725 mm29 in
- Kimberley 782 km · 19 °C66 °F · 417 mm16 in
- Mdantsane 822 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,002 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Paarl?
February is the warmest month in Paarl, with an average high of 31 °C (88 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in Paarl?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 17 °C (62 °F) and an average low of 7 °C (45 °F).
When does it rain the most in Paarl?
June is the wettest month with about 142 mm (5.6 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 12 mm (0.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Paarl?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–May and September–December.
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 197 m, while Paarl lies at about 107 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.