Climate and average weather in Graaff Reinet

In Graaff Reinet, the summers are hot, showery, and mostly clear and the winters are mild and clear.

Best: early March to mid December

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Graaff Reinet typically varies from 4°C to 29°C, and is rarely below -0°C or above 36°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Graaff Reinet for warm-weather activities is from early March to mid December.

Hottest
Jan
29°
Coldest
Jul
Wettest
Jan
71 mm
Driest
Jun
16 mm
Rain / yr
483 mm
77 wet days
Daylight
9.9–14.1 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
756 m
32.3°S
Clearest
Jul
26% cloud

Graaff Reinet is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
309/km²
people per km²
Founded
1786

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Graaff Reinet weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early March to mid December.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Graaff Reinet, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 3.9 months, from November 24 to March 21, with daily high temperatures above 27°C. The hottest month of the year in Graaff Reinet is January, with an average high of 29°C and low of 16°C.

The cool season lasts 3.0 months, from May 26 to August 24, with daily high temperatures below 20°C. The coldest month of the year in Graaff Reinet is July, with an average low of 4°C and high of 18°C.

Days typically run about 14°C warmer than nights year-round.

10°20°30°40°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2916
Feb2916
Mar2714
Apr2411
May218
Jun185
Jul184
Aug206
Sep238
Oct2510
Nov2612
Dec2914

Average hourly temperature in Graaff Reinet

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 29°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Graaff Reinet weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 16°719.713.95.7
Feb29° / 16°6310.113.25.6
Mar27° / 14°649.212.26.8
Apr24° / 11°356.711.27.7
May21° / 183.710.47.9
Jun18° / 163.39.97.5
Jul18° / 173.310.17.5
Aug20° / 224.310.87.6
Sep23° / 274.311.88.0
Oct25° / 10°417.212.87.7
Nov26° / 12°537.513.77.3
Dec29° / 14°578.214.16.4

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Graaff Reinet gets about 483 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 6.2 months, from around Oct 9 to Apr 16, peaking in February at about 38% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 2.

January is the wettest month by volume, with 71 mm over about 10 wet days; June is the driest, with 16 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetFeb 17 · 38%Jul 2 · 8%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3010
Feb3610
Mar309
Apr227
May124
Jun113
Jul113
Aug144
Sep154
Oct237
Nov258
Dec278

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Graaff Reinet collects about 483 mm of rain across 77 wet days — roughly 40 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 71 mm, while June is the driest at just 16 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 41% of the year’s total.

0255075100JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec716364351816172227415357
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan7110
Feb6310
Mar649
Apr357
May184
Jun163
Jul173
Aug224
Sep274
Oct417
Nov538
Dec578

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Graaff Reinet, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around May 26 and lasts for 3.3 months, ending around September 3. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 82% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 4 and lasts for 3.3 months, ending around December 11. The cloudiest month is October, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 32% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 8 · 84%Oct 8 · 67%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan7624
Feb7525
Mar7426
Apr7129
May7426
Jun7921
Jul8218
Aug7921
Sep7129
Oct6832
Nov7030
Dec7624

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 14 h 06 min of light; the shortest, around June 9, only 9 h 54 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan13.95:347:28
Feb13.26:017:12
Mar12.26:246:39
Apr11.26:465:58
May10.47:085:29
Jun9.97:255:19
Jul10.17:255:30
Aug10.87:025:50
Sep11.86:226:10
Oct12.85:436:31
Nov13.75:176:58
Dec14.15:157:21

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Graaff Reinet averages about 18 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 16 and 22 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 3.3 months, from around May 31 to Sep 6. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 22 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is October, down near 16 sunny days — about 27% fewer than the July peak.

0510152025JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 722 daysOct 1516 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan18Bright
Feb16Bright
Mar18Bright
Apr16Bright
May18Bright
Jun20Bright
Jul22Bright
Aug21Bright
Sep17Bright
Oct16Bright
Nov16Bright
Dec18Bright

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Graaff Reinet, how humid it feels changes noticeably over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.4 months, from around December 13 to March 25. The muggiest month is February, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 15% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around March 26 to December 12, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 22 · 100%Feb 16 · 83%humidcomfortabledryhumidcomfortable
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
Jan593110
Feb493515
Mar69247
Apr9460
May10000
Jun10000
Jul10000
Aug10000
Sep9910
Oct9820
Nov9181
Dec77195

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Graaff Reinet is steady company: average speeds sit near 10 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeJun 16 · 11 km/hMar 24 · 8 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan10calm
Feb9calm
Mar8calm
Apr8calm
May9calm
Jun11calm
Jul11calm
Aug10calm
Sep10calm
Oct10calm
Nov10calm
Dec10calm

Best time to visit Graaff Reinet

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Graaff Reinet throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around early December, Graaff Reinet is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Graaff Reinet for general outdoor tourist activities is from early March to mid December, with a peak score in the second week of May.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationMay 11 · 8.1

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan5.7good
Feb5.6good
Mar6.8good
Apr7.7ideal
May7.9ideal
Jun7.5ideal
Jul7.5ideal
Aug7.6ideal
Sep8.0ideal
Oct7.7ideal
Nov7.3good
Dec6.4good

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Graaff Reinet for hot-weather activities is from late September to late April, with a peak score in the last week of December.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationDec 25 · 7.6

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Graaff Reinet, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 29°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 18°C), pack a warm layer.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In January, Graaff Reinet sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Graaff Reinet by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Graaff Reinet peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Graaff Reinet

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan9.57
Feb8.56
Mar7.55
Apr5.52
May4.50
Jun20
Jul30
Aug50
Sep6.53
Oct85.5
Nov8.56
Dec97
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayReliably frost-free (≥90%)

Graaff Reinet is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about July 19 to June 26 (343 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecreliably frost-freereliably frost-freeJul 1990%Jun 2690%
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May990
Jun931
Jul8920
Aug940
Sep990
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Graaff Reinet banks about 2,624 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.

01,0002,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan387
Feb349
Mar333
Apr225
May144
Jun51
Jul42
Aug80
Sep157
Oct229
Nov276
Dec351

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Graaff Reinet receives about 5.5 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.1 and 8.0 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.1 months, from around Sep 17 to Mar 20. The brightest month is December, averaging about 7.9 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 3.1 kWh/m² — roughly 61% less than the December peak.

0123456789JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseDec 208.0 kWhJun 163.1 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan7.6Intense
Feb6.8Intense
Mar5.7Bright
Apr4.5Bright
May3.6Moderate
Jun3.1Moderate
Jul3.4Moderate
Aug4.3Bright
Sep5.5Bright
Oct6.6Intense
Nov7.5Intense
Dec8.0Intense

Where is Graaff Reinet?

Graaff Reinet sits at 32.3°S, 24.5°E, 756 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Middelburg, 96 km away.

Beaufort WestDe AarKariegaKruisfonteinHumansdorp

Topography around Graaff Reinet

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Graaff Reinet.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Graaff Reinet has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 631 m around an average of 857 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 969 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,048 m.

The land around Graaff Reinet is covered by shrubs (49%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) and shrubs (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (79%) within 80 km.

3 km
631 m
16 km
969 m
80 km
2,048 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Nearby: Middelburg 96 km · Cradock 103 km · Somerset East 112 km · Beaufort West 183 km · De Aar 185 km · Kariega 186 km · Kruisfontein 196 km · Humansdorp 199 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%Muslim 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Graaff Reinet (-32.2522°, 24.5308°, elevation 756 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).