Mthatha weather in February

In February, Mthatha sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 131 mm of rain across 15.9 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in February, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 30 min at the start of February to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Mthatha's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mthatha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
1st warmest
Overnight low
16°
12th coldest
Rainfall
131 mm
15.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:45 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Mthatha is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,999/km²
people per km²
Founded
1876

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

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical February day in Mthatha reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 1°C warmer than March.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12516
22516
32516
42516
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282516

Mthatha weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 1st-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 16°14518.813.85.3
Feb26° / 16°13115.913.25.5
Mar25° / 15°12016.212.26.0
Apr23° / 12°769.911.26.9
May22° / 27510.47.8
Jun20° / 243.3107.9
Jul20° / 223.210.17.9
Aug21° / 325.510.87.7
Sep23° / 10°568.411.87.1
Oct23° / 11°9614.912.86.0
Nov23° / 13°12916.413.65.7
Dec24° / 14°14018.5145.5

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23664
33763
43763
53763
63763
73763
83763
93664
103664
113664
123763
133763
143763
153763
163862
173862
183862
193862
204060
214060
224159
234159
244258
254258
264456
274555
284654

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Mthatha gets around 131 mm of rain over 15.9 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 57% and peaks near 59% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
158
258
357
457
557
657
757
857
957
1057
1158
1258
1358
1459
1559
1659
1759
1859
1959
2058
2158
2257
2357
2456
2556
2655
2755
2854

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of February feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, February lands in the humid band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
142649201
242550201
352450211
452450211
552350211
652250221
752250221
852150231
952150231
1062150231
1162050231
1262050231
1362050231
1462051230
1562051230
1662051230
1772051220
1872051220
1972051220
2072150220
2172151210
2272250210
2372251200
2482250200
2582350200
2682350190
2782350190
2892350180

Wind in February

Winds average 8 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 30 min at the start of February to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 7:04 PM to 6:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.55:337:04
213.55:347:03
313.55:347:03
413.45:357:02
513.45:367:02
613.45:377:01
713.45:387:00
813.35:397:00
913.35:406:59
1013.35:416:58
1113.35:426:57
1213.25:426:56
1313.25:436:56
1413.25:446:55
1513.15:456:54
1613.15:466:53
1713.15:476:52
1813.15:486:51
1913.05:486:50
2013.05:496:49
2113.05:506:48
2212.95:516:47
2312.95:526:46
2412.95:526:45
2512.85:536:44
2612.85:546:43
2712.85:556:42
2812.85:566:41

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.14 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in December across the year — February's 5.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.3Bright
105.3Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
Planning a trip in February

Hazard calendar for Mthatha

In seasonPeak

In February, Mthatha sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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

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

Is February a good time to visit Mthatha?

Our two travel scores rate February for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

February is a reasonable time to visit Mthatha for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mthatha in February

From February's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In February, Mthatha sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Mthatha in February

The nearest coast averages about 26°C in February — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 64 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mthatha in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mthatha peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mthatha in February

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where February falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Mthatha is worst in August — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1633 µg/m³Dec 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug34Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mthatha?

Mthatha sits at 31.6°S, 28.8°E, 694 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ugie, 68 km away.

Qacha’s Nek

Topography around Mthatha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mthatha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m around an average of 706 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,012 m.

The land around Mthatha is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and grassland (35%) within 3 km, grassland (55%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
164 m
16 km
688 m
80 km
2,012 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
February weather nearby: Ugie 68 km · Khowa 93 km · Butterworth 102 km · Tlokoeng 103 km · Cala 103 km · Kokstad 131 km · Lady Frere 147 km · Qacha’s Nek 164 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 Mthatha (-31.5889°, 28.7844°, elevation 694 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).