SUN SEASON?
HomeSouth Africa › Johannesburg

Best time to visit Johannesburg

South Africa · 26.20°S 28.05°E · 30-year monthly averages, judged against the Warm preset (highs 19–28 °C66–82 °F, dry or showers)

The best time to visit Johannesburg is February to May and August to October, with highs of 20–26 °C68–79 °F and nights of 5–14 °C41–57 °F, and rainfall of 8–96 mm0.3–3.8 in a month.

The rainy season is November to January; December to January is a true monsoon, with 120–136 mm4.7–5.4 in a month and a peak in January (136 mm5.4 in). January is the hottest month (highs of 26 °C79 °F) and June the coldest (18 °C64 °F).

The figures are 30-year monthly averages (WorldClim 2.1 monthly normals 1970–2000) for the 0.25° grid cell at -26.20, 28.05. This is a climate guide, not a forecast.

Johannesburg weather by month

Pick the weather you like. Every month is then judged against it: temperature above the month names, rain below.

Weather you like

highs 19–28 °C66–82 °F, dry or showers

Good time to go for a Warm holiday: February to May and August to October.

Open Johannesburg on the interactive map ↗ the same verdicts for any place on Earth, in any month

▲ Highs average daily high , coldest to warmest month
26°79°JAN1365.426°78°FEB963.825°76°MAR963.823°73°APR481.920°68°MAY160.618°64°JUN80.318°64°JUL0021°69°AUG80.324°74°SEP240.925°76°OCT722.825°77°NOV1124.426°78°DEC1204.7
▼ Rainfall per month, driest to wettest

Reading the chart. Gold means good: the month fits what you picked. Any other colour shows the reason it does not. The temperature bar can be too cold or too hot; the rain bar can be too dry, too rainy or monsoon. A faded gold bar means that half fits but the other half does not. A gold month name means both halves fit.

What the verdicts mean. Temperature is the month's average daily high (the afternoon), judged against the preset's band (highs 19–28 °C66–82 °F for Warm). Rain is judged by each month's class within Johannesburg's own year, not by raw millimetres: dry under 60 mm2.4 in, showers 60–100 mm2.4–3.9 in, rainy from 100 mm3.9 in and at least 35 % of the wettest month. Too rainy is a rainy-season month that the preset does not allow. Monsoon is the heaviest kind of rainy season: 180 mm7.1 in or more (120 mm4.7 in near the yearly peak) in a climate where the wettest month has at least three times the rain of the driest. Every monsoon month is also a rainy-season month; the label says which kind. Full rules on the method page.

MonthRain High Low SeasonWarm verdict
January1365.426791559monsoonmonsoon
February963.826781457showersgood
March963.825761355showersgood
April481.923731049drygood
May160.62068642drygood
June80.31864236drytoo cold
July001864236drytoo cold
August80.32169540drygood
September240.92474948drygood
October722.825761152showersgood
November1124.425771355rainytoo rainy
December1204.726781457monsoonmonsoon

When to go to Johannesburg, by holiday type

Looking forRuleMonths that fit
Warmhighs 19–28 °C66–82 °F, dry or showersFebruary to May and August to October
Tropicalhighs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, any rain except monsoonno month
Beachhighs 28–38 °C82–100 °F, dry or showersno month
Coolhighs 3–19 °C37–66 °F, any rain except monsoonJune to July
Snowhighs below 3 °C37 °F, any rainno month

Is there a rainy season in Johannesburg?

Yes. The rainy season is November to January; December to January is a true monsoon, with 120–136 mm4.7–5.4 in a month and a peak in January (136 mm5.4 in). Outside the rainy season, April to September is dry.

January is the hottest month (highs of 26 °C79 °F) and June the coldest (18 °C64 °F). Annual rainfall is about 736 mm29 in.

Where to go instead when Johannesburg does not fit

The nearest destinations that fit the Warm preset in the months when Johannesburg does not:

Nearby destinations

distances in . Tap a unit to switch.

The interactive map colours the whole world by how well it fits the weather you like, in any month, and shows this chart for any place you tap.