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Soweto, South Africa climate
Cwa Monsoon-influenced humid subtropical
Soweto has a mildly seasonal warm-temperate climate (Monsoon-influenced humid subtropical, Köppen Cwa). The hottest month is January with an average daily high near 83°F, while the coldest is July averaging around 40°F at night. Precipitation totals about 31 inches a year and is strongly seasonal — November alone averages 5.7 inches while June barely receives 0.10 inches.
Temperature & precipitation
Daily high–low temperature range with the monthly average, plus monthly precipitation · 1991–2020 normals · hover a month for the exact figuresClear vs cloudy days
Share of days each month that are clear, partly cloudy or cloudy · 1991–2020 · hover a month for the day countsSoweto climate normals (1991–2020)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 83 | 83 | 81 | 77 | 73 | 68 | 68 | 74 | 80 | 83 | 83 | 83 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 72 | 72 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 55 | 54 | 60 | 66 | 69 | 70 | 72 |
| Avg low (°F) | 61 | 61 | 58 | 53 | 47 | 42 | 40 | 45 | 52 | 56 | 58 | 60 |
| Precipitation (in) | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 4.8 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 83 | 83 | 81 | 77 | 73 | 68 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 72 | 72 | 70 | 65 | 60 | 55 |
| Avg low (°F) | 61 | 61 | 58 | 53 | 47 | 42 |
| Precipitation (in) | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 68 | 74 | 80 | 83 | 83 | 83 |
| Avg temp (°F) | 54 | 60 | 66 | 69 | 70 | 72 |
| Avg low (°F) | 40 | 45 | 52 | 56 | 58 | 60 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 4.8 |
How often — frequency of weather events
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 14 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0.8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 15 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 2 | 2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | — | — | — | — | 0.9 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | — | — |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 14 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | 2 | 2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | — | — |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days with measurable rain (days) | 0.8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 15 |
| Days with high ≥ 90°F (days) | — | — | 0.9 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Days with low ≤ 32°F (days) | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | — | — |
Sky & atmosphere
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 61 | 57 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 29 | 47 | 58 | 65 |
| Clear days (≤ 30% cloud) | 6 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Partly cloudy days (30–70%) | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Cloudy days (≥ 70%) | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 65 | 64 | 64 | 61 | 54 | 54 | 50 | 44 | 40 | 49 | 57 | 63 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
| Jan – Jun | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 61 | 57 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 20 |
| Clear days (≤ 30% cloud) | 6 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 22 |
| Partly cloudy days (30–70%) | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 7 |
| Cloudy days (≥ 70%) | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 65 | 64 | 64 | 61 | 54 | 54 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Jul – Dec | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud cover (%) | 18 | 21 | 29 | 47 | 58 | 65 |
| Clear days (≤ 30% cloud) | 24 | 23 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 4 |
| Partly cloudy days (30–70%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Cloudy days (≥ 70%) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 50 | 44 | 40 | 49 | 57 | 63 |
| Wind speed (mph) | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 5.1 |
Methodology & sources
Temperature & precipitation — 1991–2020 normals computed from 24 years of daily observations at Pretoria/irene, a weather station, about 53 km from the city centre. The underlying daily records come from NOAA's global station network.
Cloud, humidity, wind & sunshine — modelled estimates from NASA POWER, NASA's satellite-and-reanalysis climatology. This is the standard global source for atmospheric variables, which are not measured at most weather stations.