South Africa Weather Radar

South Africa climate

South Africa's position at the southern tip of Africa, surrounded by both the warm Indian Ocean and cold Atlantic currents, creates extraordinary climate diversity. The country's weather ranges from the Mediterranean climate of the Western Cape to the subtropical conditions of KwaZulu-Natal, and from the semi-arid Karoo to the temperate Highveld. The cold Benguela Current along the west coast creates persistent fog and keeps the Atlantic side dramatically cooler than the Indian Ocean coast.

The Highveld plateau, where Johannesburg and Pretoria sit at 1,500+ meters, has a subtropical highland climate with warm, thunderstorm-rich summers and cool, dry winters with frost. The Western Cape around Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate with winter rainfall (May-August) and dry, warm summers — the opposite pattern to the rest of the country. Severe thunderstorms on the Highveld can produce large hail, damaging winds, and occasionally tornadoes.

Johannesburg has pleasant year-round temperatures averaging 16°C due to altitude, with afternoon thunderstorms dominating summer and clear, cold winter nights. Cape Town enjoys warm, dry summers around 26°C and mild, rainy winters. Durban on the KwaZulu-Natal coast is warm and humid year-round with subtropical vegetation. The Drakensberg mountains receive winter snow and heavy summer rainfall, while the Northern Cape is hot and arid with some of the clearest skies in the Southern Hemisphere.