Pinetown climate
Pinetown (South Africa) has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 1,407 mm55 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Pinetown climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2780 | 1865 | 2272 | 2128.3 |
| Feb | 2780 | 1865 | 2373 | 1646.5 |
| Mar | 2679 | 1763 | 2271 | 1395.5 |
| Apr | 2475 | 1558 | 1967 | 843.3 |
| May | 2373 | 1253 | 1763 | 421.6 |
| Jun | 2170 | 948 | 1559 | 261.0 |
| Jul | 2169 | 947 | 1558 | 401.6 |
| Aug | 2272 | 1050 | 1661 | 391.5 |
| Sep | 2474 | 1254 | 1864 | 903.6 |
| Oct | 2476 | 1457 | 1966 | 1576.2 |
| Nov | 2577 | 1560 | 2068 | 2058.1 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1763 | 2271 | 2108.3 |
| Year | 2780 | 947 | 1966 | 1,40755 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85% | 76% | 5.8 | 13:52 |
| Feb | 85% | 72% | 5.7 | 13:10 |
| Mar | 85% | 66% | 5.1 | 12:21 |
| Apr | 82% | 60% | 4.2 | 11:24 |
| May | 76% | 45% | 3.7 | 10:38 |
| Jun | 71% | 40% | 3.3 | 10:14 |
| Jul | 70% | 38% | 3.6 | 10:24 |
| Aug | 71% | 47% | 4.1 | 11:03 |
| Sep | 75% | 57% | 4.8 | 11:58 |
| Oct | 79% | 70% | 5.1 | 12:52 |
| Nov | 82% | 76% | 5.5 | 13:40 |
| Dec | 84% | 78% | 5.8 | 14:03 |
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 Pinetown is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 27 °C80 °F and a low of 18 °C65 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 21 °C69 °F and lows 9 °C47 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 8 °C14.3 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,407 mm55 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 45% of the annual total. The wettest month is January (212 mm8.3 in), the driest is June (26 mm1.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in July to 85% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 38%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in May to 11 km/h (7 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.2 hours in June to 14.1 hours in December.
Best time to visit Pinetown
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 21 °C69 °F to 24 °C75 °F with 26 mm1.0 in to 90 mm3.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is very wet (212 mm8.3 in) and humid (85% 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 Pinetown
- Summer (December–February) — highs 2679 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1763 to 18 °C65 °F, about 195 mm7.7 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 2373 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1253 to 17 °C63 °F, about 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Winter (June–August) — highs 2169 to 22 °C72 °F, lows 947 to 10 °C50 °F, about 35 mm1.4 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 2474 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 1254 to 15 °C60 °F, about 151 mm5.9 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.
How Pinetown compares
Compared with Durban, about 14 km to the east, Pinetown is on average 3.3 °C5.9 °F cooler and receives 59% more precipitation (1,407 mm55 in vs 888 mm35 in). The difference is largest in June (5.8 °C10.4 °F cooler).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Pinetown is the 11th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 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), Petrópolis (Brazil, Cfb) and Guarulhos (Brazil, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Mpumalanga (pop. 140,121). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Pinetown, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Ntuzuma 11 km · 21 °C70 °F · 699 mm28 in
- Durban 14 km · 22 °C72 °F · 888 mm35 in
- Pietermaritzburg 53 km · 18 °C65 °F · 1,170 mm46 in
- KwaDukuza 67 km · 21 °C71 °F · 699 mm28 in
- Richards Bay 161 km · 23 °C73 °F · 681 mm27 in
- Ladysmith 177 km · 19 °C66 °F · 792 mm31 in
- Vryheid 228 km · 17 °C63 °F · 765 mm30 in
- Newcastle 248 km · 18 °C65 °F · 747 mm29 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Pinetown?
February is the warmest month in Pinetown, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
What is the coldest month in Pinetown?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 21 °C (69 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (47 °F).
When does it rain the most in Pinetown?
January is the wettest month with about 212 mm (8.3 in) of precipitation; June is the driest with about 26 mm (1.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Pinetown?
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 447 m, while Pinetown lies at about 323 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.8 °C1.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.