Thohoyandou climate
Thohoyandou (South Africa) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 22 °C71 °F, and about 586 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Thohoyandou climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3188 | 1966 | 2577 | 1134.5 |
| Feb | 3188 | 1966 | 2577 | 933.7 |
| Mar | 3086 | 1864 | 2475 | 682.7 |
| Apr | 2883 | 1559 | 2271 | 391.5 |
| May | 2679 | 1254 | 1967 | 90.3 |
| Jun | 2475 | 1049 | 1762 | 70.3 |
| Jul | 2474 | 948 | 1661 | 110.4 |
| Aug | 2780 | 1152 | 1966 | 60.2 |
| Sep | 3085 | 1356 | 2271 | 150.6 |
| Oct | 3189 | 1661 | 2475 | 371.5 |
| Nov | 3290 | 1864 | 2577 | 752.9 |
| Dec | 3289 | 1966 | 2578 | 1134.5 |
| Year | 3290 | 948 | 2271 | 58623 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | 56% | 6.5 | 13:24 |
| Feb | 65% | 51% | 6.3 | 12:53 |
| Mar | 65% | 48% | 5.7 | 12:17 |
| Apr | 62% | 41% | 4.9 | 11:35 |
| May | 54% | 26% | 4.5 | 11:01 |
| Jun | 53% | 28% | 4.0 | 10:44 |
| Jul | 52% | 28% | 4.2 | 10:51 |
| Aug | 47% | 25% | 4.9 | 11:20 |
| Sep | 46% | 28% | 5.6 | 11:00 |
| Oct | 50% | 41% | 6.1 | 12:40 |
| Nov | 55% | 54% | 6.4 | 13:15 |
| Dec | 61% | 61% | 6.4 | 13:32 |
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 Thohoyandou is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 19 °C66 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 24 °C74 °F and lows 9 °C48 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 9 °C16.2 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 586 mm23 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 55% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (113 mm4.5 in), the driest is August (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 46% in September to 65% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 25%) are typical of August. 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 10.7 hours in June to 13.5 hours in December.
Best time to visit Thohoyandou
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 24 °C74 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 6 mm0.2 in to 39 mm1.5 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 Thohoyandou
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 3086 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1864 to 19 °C66 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2474 to 31 °C89 °F, lows 948 to 16 °C61 °F, about 18 mm0.7 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.
How Thohoyandou compares
Compared with Phalaborwa, about 130 km to the southeast, Thohoyandou is on average 1.4 °C2.6 °F cooler and receives 8% more precipitation (586 mm23 in vs 543 mm21 in). The difference is largest in March (1.6 °C3 °F cooler).
Of the 49 places in South Africa covered by World Climates, Thohoyandou is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 31st 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): Manzini (Eswatini, Cwa), Borama (Somalia, BSh) and Salta (Argentina, Cwa).
Nearby places
- Phalaborwa 130 km · 23 °C74 °F · 543 mm21 in
- Polokwane 149 km · 19 °C65 °F · 530 mm21 in
- Mokopane 205 km · 21 °C69 °F · 488 mm19 in
- Mbombela 286 km · 21 °C70 °F · 685 mm27 in
- Somaroboro 315 km · 18 °C65 °F · 603 mm24 in
- Ressano Garcia 317 km · 24 °C75 °F · 642 mm25 in
- Emalahleni 349 km · 16 °C61 °F · 656 mm26 in
- Francistown 365 km · 23 °C73 °F · 485 mm19 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Thohoyandou?
December is the warmest month in Thohoyandou, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (66 °F).
What is the coldest month in Thohoyandou?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (74 °F) and an average low of 9 °C (48 °F).
When does it rain the most in Thohoyandou?
January is the wettest month with about 113 mm (4.5 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Thohoyandou?
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 592 m, while Thohoyandou lies at about 724 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −0.9 °C1.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.