Climate and average weather in Mafikeng

In Mafikeng, the summers are hot, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are mild and clear.

Best: early April to early October

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Mafikeng typically varies from 4°C to 29°C, and is rarely below 0°C or above 34°C. December is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Mafikeng for warm-weather activities is from early April to early October.

Hottest
Dec
29°
Coldest
Jul
Wettest
Feb
90 mm
Driest
Jul
2 mm
Rain / yr
541 mm
84 wet days
Daylight
10.4–13.6 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,284 m
25.9°S
Clearest
Jul
12% cloud

Mafikeng is city in North West, South Africa.

Founded
1852

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

Mafikeng 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 April to early October.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

The hot season lasts 6.1 months, from September 16 to March 20, with daily high temperatures above 27°C. The hottest month of the year in Mafikeng is December, with an average high of 29°C and low of 17°C.

The cool season lasts 2.2 months, from May 29 to August 3, with daily high temperatures below 21°C. The coldest month of the year in Mafikeng is July, with an average low of 4°C and high of 20°C.

Days typically run about 13°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 15°C) in July.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2918
Feb2818
Mar2716
Apr2412
May228
Jun205
Jul204
Aug237
Sep2612
Oct2815
Nov2916
Dec2917

Average hourly temperature in Mafikeng

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 December 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

Mafikeng 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° / 18°9014.613.45.2
Feb28° / 18°9012.212.95.8
Mar27° / 16°7110.712.26.7
Apr24° / 12°405.811.48.0
May22° / 182.410.88.7
Jun20° / 91.410.48.4
Jul20° / 20.510.58.5
Aug23° / 71.411.19.1
Sep26° / 12°131.811.88.6
Oct28° / 15°457.112.66.9
Nov29° / 16°6911.413.35.7
Dec29° / 17°8714.313.65.2

Chance of rain

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

Mafikeng gets about 541 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 5.7 months, from around Oct 18 to Apr 7, peaking in January at about 48% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 12.

February is the wettest month by volume, with 90 mm over about 12 wet days; July is the driest, with 2 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetJan 23 · 48%Jul 12 · 1%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan4715
Feb4312
Mar3411
Apr206
May82
Jun41
Jul21
Aug41
Sep72
Oct227
Nov3811
Dec4514

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Mafikeng collects about 541 mm of rain across 84 wet days — roughly 45 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. February is the wettest month with 90 mm, while July is the driest at just 2 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 49% of the year’s total.

0255075100125JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec909071401892713456987
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan9015
Feb9012
Mar7111
Apr406
May182
Jun91
Jul21
Aug71
Sep132
Oct457
Nov6911
Dec8714

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

In Mafikeng, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around April 16 and lasts for 6.1 months, ending around October 18. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 94% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 19 and lasts for 5.9 months, ending around April 15. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 33% 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 23 · 96%Nov 22 · 65%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan6733
Feb7129
Mar7426
Apr7921
May8911
Jun928
Jul946
Aug946
Sep8911
Oct8119
Nov6733
Dec6733

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 13 h 36 min of light; the shortest, around June 7, only 10 h 24 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 12 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan13.45:437:10
Feb12.96:056:59
Mar12.26:216:33
Apr11.46:365:59
May10.86:525:36
Jun10.47:065:29
Jul10.57:075:39
Aug11.16:495:54
Sep11.86:166:07
Oct12.65:446:21
Nov13.35:246:41
Dec13.65:257:02

Sunny days

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

Mafikeng averages about 19 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 11 and 27 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 6.0 months, from around Apr 17 to Oct 15. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 27 sunny days (brilliant).

The greyest month is December, down near 12 sunny days — about 54% fewer than the July peak.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 2327 daysDec 2811 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan12Mixed
Feb12Mixed
Mar16Bright
Apr19Bright
May24Brilliant
Jun25Brilliant
Jul27Brilliant
Aug27Brilliant
Sep23Brilliant
Oct20Bright
Nov14Mixed
Dec13Mixed

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 Mafikeng, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.3 months, from around November 19 to March 30. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 43% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around March 31 to November 18, and April is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 97% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApr 27 · 100%Jan 24 · 52%humidcomfortabledryhumidcomfortablehumid
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
Jan2235394
Feb2039373
Mar3940201
Apr772130
May98200
Jun100000
Jul100000
Aug100000
Sep99100
Oct881100
Nov642690
Dec3741211

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.

Across the year, average wind speed in Mafikeng is typically calm, near 12 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.1 months, from around Jul 29 to Dec 29. The windiest month is October, averaging about 14 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Dec 30 to Jul 28, with May the calmest month at about 10 km/h.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmlight breezeOct 14 · 14 km/hMay 16 · 10 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan11calm
Feb11calm
Mar10calm
Apr10calm
May10calm
Jun11calm
Jul12calm
Aug13light breeze
Sep14light breeze
Oct14light breeze
Nov14light breeze
Dec13light breeze

Hazard calendar for Mafikeng

In seasonPeak

When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.

Mafikeng's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Best time to visit Mafikeng

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

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

Around mid April, Mafikeng is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

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 Mafikeng for general outdoor tourist activities is from early April to early October, with a peak score in the last week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 25 · 9.2

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
Jan5.2fair
Feb5.8good
Mar6.7good
Apr8.0ideal
May8.7ideal
Jun8.4ideal
Jul8.5ideal
Aug9.1ideal
Sep8.6ideal
Oct6.9good
Nov5.7good
Dec5.2fair

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Mafikeng for hot-weather activities run from late March to early May and again from mid August to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of September.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 19 · 8.4

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 Mafikeng, 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 December (highs near 29°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 20°C), pack a warm layer.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In December, Mafikeng sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Mafikeng 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 Mafikeng peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Mafikeng

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 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)
Jan97
Feb8.56.5
Mar86
Apr74.5
May5.52
Jun50
Jul50
Aug63
Sep74.5
Oct86
Nov8.56.5
Dec97
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free day

Mafikeng is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May990
Jun950
Jul920
Aug980
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)

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. Mafikeng banks about 3,199 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan413
Feb361
Mar352
Apr250
May157
Jun63
Jul58
Aug150
Sep269
Oct353
Nov368
Dec405

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.

Mafikeng receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.9 and 7.2 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Sep 2 to Mar 14. The brightest month is December, averaging about 7.1 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 4.0 kWh/m² — roughly 44% less than the December peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseDec 187.2 kWhJun 213.9 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.9Intense
Feb6.5Intense
Mar5.8Bright
Apr4.9Bright
May4.4Bright
Jun3.9Moderate
Jul4.2Bright
Aug5.1Bright
Sep6.2Intense
Oct6.9Intense
Nov7.0Intense
Dec7.1Intense

Where is Mafikeng?

Mafikeng sits at 25.9°S, 25.6°E, 1,284 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mmabatho, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Mafikeng

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mafikeng has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 1,279 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 578 m.

The land around Mafikeng is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and shrubs (21%) within 3 km, grassland (63%) and shrubs (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (47%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
197 m
80 km
578 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Nearby: Mmabatho 2.0 km · Itsoseng 34 km · Janeng 51 km · Zeerust 57 km · Lichtenburg 61 km · Lobatse 71 km · Coligny 85 km · Kanye 105 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 Mafikeng (-25.8652°, 25.6442°, elevation 1,284 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).