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About SA - Weather

The weather in South Africa is generally excellent. Winters seldom go below 10°C (except at night, when they can go down to -2°C), and summers seldom exceed 35°C, usually hovering in the upper 20s. Most days are wind-free, rain-free, and warm, around 25°C. In winter, South Africa's day temperatures tend to be around 10-15°C, with clear deep blue skies in most parts of the country. The Western Cape and Cape Town, however, experience a lot of light rain and wind in winter.

You must be advised that most buildings in South Africa are not double-glazed and do not have central heating, so winters can be cold and unpleasant if you come unprepared. If you're visiting in winter (May-August), make sure you bring warm clothes, especially for night-time.

The daylight hours are more-or-less the same throughout the seasons; sunrise is usually around 5 AM and sunset is usually around 7 PM; it gets dark quite early compared to Europe. However, Cape Town sunset in winter is around 8pm.

In the late afternoons in summer on the highveld (high plains in the interior), South Africa often experiences dramatic thunderstorms. Occasionally, there is a week or so of overcast weather, but it's quite rare for clouds to persist for more than a week. You could hardly ask for a better climate.

Some cities in the interior of South Africa, for example, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit and others are about 1700m above sea-level. The air is, consequently, a little thin and dry. And as Johannesburg in particular is an industrial city, it can be somewhat smoggy in parts, especially the city centre. Asthmatics should bring a nebuliser or humidifier, and a spray. Passages taken with permission from "An Insider's Guide to Johannesburg" by J. M. Ostrowick

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