Thembisa climate
Thembisa (South Africa) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 17 °C62 °F, and about 642 mm25 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Thembisa climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2882 | 1559 | 2170 | 1234.8 | 0 |
| Feb | 2882 | 1458 | 2170 | 823.2 | 0 |
| Mar | 2680 | 1355 | 2067 | 732.9 | 0 |
| Apr | 2374 | 949 | 1662 | 431.7 | 0 |
| May | 2169 | 542 | 1356 | 160.6 | 1 |
| Jun | 1763 | 236 | 1050 | 70.3 | 2 |
| Jul | 1864 | 235 | 1049 | 30.1 | 4 |
| Aug | 2170 | 440 | 1355 | 70.3 | 1 |
| Sep | 2679 | 847 | 1763 | 160.6 | 0 |
| Oct | 2882 | 1153 | 2067 | 572.2 | 0 |
| Nov | 2882 | 1355 | 2069 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Dec | 2882 | 1558 | 2170 | 1275.0 | 0 |
| Year | 2882 | 235 | 1762 | 64225 | 8 |
“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 | 65% | 59% | 6.8 | 13:36 |
| Feb | 64% | 56% | 6.4 | 13:01 |
| Mar | 63% | 47% | 5.7 | 12:18 |
| Apr | 62% | 42% | 4.9 | 11:30 |
| May | 54% | 24% | 4.5 | 10:52 |
| Jun | 55% | 20% | 4.1 | 10:31 |
| Jul | 49% | 17% | 4.4 | 10:39 |
| Aug | 44% | 19% | 5.1 | 11:13 |
| Sep | 39% | 24% | 6.1 | 11:59 |
| Oct | 48% | 41% | 6.6 | 12:45 |
| Nov | 57% | 55% | 6.8 | 13:26 |
| Dec | 63% | 63% | 6.8 | 13:45 |
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 Thembisa is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 28 °C82 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 18 °C64 °F and lows 2 °C35 °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 642 mm25 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 (127 mm5.0 in), the driest is July (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 39% in September to 65% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 17%) 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 Thembisa
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 °C82 °F with 7 mm0.3 in to 89 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 Thembisa
- Summer (December–February) — highs around 28 °C82 °F, lows 1458 to 15 °C59 °F, about 110 mm4.3 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 26 °C80 °F, lows 542 to 13 °C55 °F, about 44 mm1.7 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 235 to 4 °C40 °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 847 to 13 °C55 °F, about 54 mm2.1 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 Thembisa compares
Compared with Pretoria, about 28 km to the north, Thembisa is on average 2.1 °C3.8 °F cooler and receives 12% more precipitation (642 mm25 in vs 571 mm22 in). The difference is largest in August (2.2 °C4 °F cooler).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Thembisa is the 37th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 22nd 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): Xichang (China, Cwa), Chuxiong (China, Cwa) and Maseru (Lesotho, Cwa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Centurion (pop. 236,580). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Thembisa, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Etwatwa 27 km · 17 °C62 °F · 626 mm25 in
- Pretoria 28 km · 19 °C66 °F · 571 mm22 in
- Johannesburg 29 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Alberton 32 km · 17 °C63 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Roodepoort 40 km · 16 °C60 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Krugersdorp 46 km · 16 °C61 °F · 633 mm25 in
- Soweto 48 km · 17 °C62 °F · 586 mm23 in
- Nigel 54 km · 17 °C62 °F · 619 mm24 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Thembisa?
January is the warmest month in Thembisa, with an average high of 28 °C (82 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Thembisa?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 18 °C (64 °F) and an average low of 2 °C (35 °F).
When does it rain the most in Thembisa?
December is the wettest month with about 127 mm (5.0 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Thembisa?
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.