Pretoria climate
Pretoria (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 571 mm22 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Pretoria climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3086 | 1762 | 2374 | 1154.5 |
| Feb | 3086 | 1661 | 2374 | 753.0 |
| Mar | 2984 | 1558 | 2271 | 662.6 |
| Apr | 2678 | 1152 | 1965 | 381.5 |
| May | 2374 | 745 | 1559 | 120.5 |
| Jun | 2068 | 439 | 1253 | 50.2 |
| Jul | 2068 | 338 | 1253 | 20.1 |
| Aug | 2475 | 643 | 1559 | 50.2 |
| Sep | 2883 | 1050 | 1967 | 130.5 |
| Oct | 3086 | 1356 | 2271 | 481.9 |
| Nov | 3087 | 1559 | 2373 | 793.1 |
| Dec | 3086 | 1662 | 2374 | 1124.4 |
| Year | 3087 | 338 | 1966 | 57122 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60% | 59% | 6.8 | 13:35 |
| Feb | 59% | 56% | 6.4 | 12:00 |
| Mar | 59% | 47% | 5.7 | 12:18 |
| Apr | 58% | 42% | 4.9 | 11:31 |
| May | 50% | 24% | 4.5 | 10:52 |
| Jun | 50% | 20% | 4.1 | 10:32 |
| Jul | 44% | 17% | 4.4 | 10:40 |
| Aug | 39% | 19% | 5.1 | 11:13 |
| Sep | 35% | 24% | 6.1 | 11:59 |
| Oct | 44% | 41% | 6.6 | 12:45 |
| Nov | 52% | 55% | 6.8 | 13:25 |
| Dec | 58% | 63% | 6.8 | 13:44 |
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 Pretoria is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 17 °C62 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 20 °C68 °F and lows 3 °C38 °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 571 mm22 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (115 mm4.5 in), the driest is July (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 35% in September to 60% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 17%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in April to 10 km/h (6 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.5 hours in June to 13.7 hours in December.
Best time to visit Pretoria
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 29 °C84 °F with 2 mm0.1 in to 66 mm2.6 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is hot, with average highs of 30 °C86 °F.
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.
Pretoria weather by month
- January30 °C86 °F / 17 °C62 °F
- February30 °C86 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- March29 °C84 °F / 15 °C58 °F
- April26 °C78 °F / 11 °C52 °F
- May23 °C74 °F / 7 °C45 °F
- June20 °C68 °F / 4 °C39 °F
- July20 °C68 °F / 3 °C38 °F
- August24 °C75 °F / 6 °C43 °F
- September28 °C83 °F / 10 °C50 °F
- October30 °C86 °F / 13 °C56 °F
- November30 °C87 °F / 15 °C59 °F
- December30 °C86 °F / 16 °C62 °F
What to pack for Pretoria
- Summer (December–February) — highs around 30 °C86 °F, lows 1661 to 17 °C62 °F, about 101 mm4.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (March–May) — highs 2374 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 745 to 15 °C58 °F, about 39 mm1.5 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 24 °C75 °F, lows 338 to 6 °C43 °F, about 4 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 2883 to 30 °C87 °F, lows 1050 to 15 °C59 °F, about 47 mm1.8 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.
How Pretoria compares
Compared with Johannesburg, about 53 km to the south, Pretoria is on average 3.3 °C6 °F warmer and receives 11% less precipitation (571 mm22 in vs 642 mm25 in). The difference is largest in August (3.5 °C6.2 °F warmer).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Pretoria is the 12th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 34th 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: San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina, Cwa), Gweru (Zimbabwe, Cwa) and Córdoba (Argentina, Cwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Soshanguve (pop. 872,309), Hammanskraal (pop. 112,950) and Mabopane (pop. 110,972). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Pretoria, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Thembisa 28 km · 17 °C62 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Etwatwa 50 km · 17 °C62 °F · 626 mm25 in
- Johannesburg 53 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Krugersdorp 56 km · 16 °C61 °F · 633 mm25 in
- Roodepoort 56 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Alberton 59 km · 17 °C63 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Soweto 67 km · 17 °C62 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Somaroboro 79 km · 18 °C65 °F · 603 mm24 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Pretoria?
January is the warmest month in Pretoria, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (62 °F).
What is the coldest month in Pretoria?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 20 °C (68 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (38 °F).
When does it rain the most in Pretoria?
January is the wettest month with about 115 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Pretoria?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–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 1,199 m, while Pretoria lies at about 1,332 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.9 °C1.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.