Rustenburg climate
Rustenburg (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C68 °F, and about 585 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Rustenburg climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3189 | 1864 | 2576 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Feb | 3188 | 1864 | 2476 | 833.3 | 0 |
| Mar | 3086 | 1660 | 2373 | 702.7 | 0 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1254 | 1967 | 461.8 | 0 |
| May | 2475 | 846 | 1661 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 2170 | 440 | 1355 | 60.2 | 1 |
| Jul | 2170 | 439 | 1355 | 20.1 | 1 |
| Aug | 2577 | 745 | 1661 | 50.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 3085 | 1152 | 2069 | 130.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 3289 | 1558 | 2374 | 441.7 | 0 |
| Nov | 3289 | 1661 | 2475 | 752.9 | 0 |
| Dec | 3289 | 1864 | 2576 | 1144.5 | 0 |
| Year | 3289 | 439 | 2068 | 58523 | 2 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59% | 58% | 6.7 | 13:34 |
| Feb | 59% | 55% | 6.4 | 12:00 |
| Mar | 58% | 46% | 5.7 | 12:18 |
| Apr | 58% | 40% | 4.8 | 11:31 |
| May | 49% | 21% | 4.5 | 10:53 |
| Jun | 49% | 19% | 4.1 | 10:33 |
| Jul | 43% | 16% | 4.4 | 10:41 |
| Aug | 37% | 18% | 5.2 | 11:14 |
| Sep | 33% | 21% | 6.2 | 11:59 |
| Oct | 42% | 40% | 6.7 | 12:45 |
| Nov | 50% | 53% | 6.9 | 13:25 |
| Dec | 57% | 62% | 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 Rustenburg is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 31 °C89 °F and a low of 18 °C64 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 21 °C70 °F and lows 4 °C39 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 12.1 °C21.8 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 585 mm23 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 53% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (114 mm4.5 in), the driest is July (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 33% in September to 59% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 16%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 6 km/h (4 mph) in March to 9 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 Rustenburg
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 21 °C70 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 2 mm0.1 in to 46 mm1.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is hot, with average highs of 32 °C89 °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.
What to pack for Rustenburg
- Summer (December–February) — highs 3188 to 32 °C89 °F, lows around 18 °C64 °F, about 104 mm4.1 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 2475 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 846 to 16 °C60 °F, about 43 mm1.7 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 2170 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 439 to 7 °C45 °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 3085 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 1152 to 16 °C61 °F, about 44 mm1.7 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.
How Rustenburg compares
Compared with Krugersdorp, about 71 km to the southeast, Rustenburg is on average 4 °C7.2 °F warmer and receives 8% less precipitation (585 mm23 in vs 633 mm25 in). The difference is largest in August (4.2 °C7.5 °F warmer).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Rustenburg is the 10th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 32nd 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: Catamarca (Argentina, BSh), San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina, Cwa) and Gaborone (Botswana, BSh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Brits (pop. 122,497). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Rustenburg, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Krugersdorp 71 km · 16 °C61 °F · 633 mm25 in
- Carletonville 79 km · 17 °C63 °F · 584 mm23 in
- Roodepoort 84 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Soweto 91 km · 17 °C62 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Pretoria 95 km · 19 °C66 °F · 571 mm22 in
- Johannesburg 100 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Thembisa 105 km · 17 °C62 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Alberton 110 km · 17 °C63 °F · 586 mm23 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Rustenburg?
January is the warmest month in Rustenburg, with an average high of 31 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (64 °F).
What is the coldest month in Rustenburg?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 21 °C (70 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (39 °F).
When does it rain the most in Rustenburg?
January is the wettest month with about 114 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Rustenburg?
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.