Climate and average weather in Newcastle
In Newcastle, the summers are warm, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Newcastle typically varies from 5°C to 27°C, and is rarely below 1°C or above 33°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 Newcastle for warm-weather activities is from late March to early October.
- Hottest
- Jan
- 27°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 5°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 155 mm
- Driest
- Jun
- 10 mm
- Rain / yr
- 858 mm
- 117 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.2–13.8 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,195 m
- 27.8°S
- Clearest
- Jul
- 16% cloud
Newcastle is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- Density
- 5,342/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1864
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Newcastle 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 late March to early October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Newcastle, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 6.4 months, from September 14 to March 26, with daily high temperatures above 26°C. The hottest month of the year in Newcastle is January, with an average high of 27°C and low of 16°C.
The cool season lasts 2.0 months, from June 1 to July 31, with daily high temperatures below 21°C. The coldest month of the year in Newcastle is July, with an average low of 5°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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 16 |
| Feb | 27 | 16 |
| Mar | 26 | 15 |
| Apr | 24 | 12 |
| May | 22 | 8 |
| Jun | 20 | 5 |
| Jul | 20 | 5 |
| Aug | 23 | 7 |
| Sep | 26 | 11 |
| Oct | 26 | 13 |
| Nov | 27 | 14 |
| Dec | 27 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Newcastle
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 27°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 5°C.
Newcastle weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27° / 16° | 141 | 17.6 | 13.6 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 27° / 16° | 101 | 13.2 | 13 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 26° / 15° | 99 | 11.8 | 12.2 | 6.6 |
| Apr | 24° / 12° | 45 | 7.4 | 11.4 | 7.8 |
| May | 22° / 8° | 18 | 3 | 10.6 | 8.5 |
| Jun | 20° / 5° | 10 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 8.3 |
| Jul | 20° / 5° | 13 | 2.1 | 10.4 | 8.3 |
| Aug | 23° / 7° | 22 | 3.9 | 11 | 8.5 |
| Sep | 26° / 11° | 40 | 7 | 11.8 | 7.7 |
| Oct | 26° / 13° | 94 | 13.8 | 12.7 | 6.3 |
| Nov | 27° / 14° | 120 | 16.5 | 13.4 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 27° / 15° | 155 | 18.9 | 13.7 | 5.2 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Newcastle gets about 858 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 29 to Mar 30, peaking in December at about 63% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 12.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 155 mm over about 19 wet days; June is the driest, with 10 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 56 | 48 | 38 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 44 | 56 | 60 |
| Rain days | 18 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 19 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 18 |
| Feb | 48 | 13 |
| Mar | 38 | 12 |
| Apr | 24 | 7 |
| May | 10 | 3 |
| Jun | 7 | 2 |
| Jul | 7 | 2 |
| Aug | 13 | 4 |
| Sep | 24 | 7 |
| Oct | 44 | 14 |
| Nov | 56 | 17 |
| Dec | 60 | 19 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Newcastle collects about 858 mm of rain across 117 wet days — roughly 71 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 155 mm, while June is the driest at just 10 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 48% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 141 | 101 | 99 | 45 | 18 | 10 | 13 | 22 | 40 | 94 | 120 | 155 |
| Rain days | 18 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 19 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 141 | 18 |
| Feb | 101 | 13 |
| Mar | 99 | 12 |
| Apr | 45 | 7 |
| May | 18 | 3 |
| Jun | 10 | 2 |
| Jul | 13 | 2 |
| Aug | 22 | 4 |
| Sep | 40 | 7 |
| Oct | 94 | 14 |
| Nov | 120 | 17 |
| Dec | 155 | 19 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Newcastle, 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 5 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around September 23. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 90% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 24 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around April 4. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 49% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 53 | 61 | 66 | 74 | 85 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 75 | 61 | 53 | 51 |
| Cloudier (%) | 47 | 39 | 34 | 26 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 25 | 39 | 47 | 49 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 47 |
| Feb | 61 | 39 |
| Mar | 66 | 34 |
| Apr | 74 | 26 |
| May | 85 | 15 |
| Jun | 90 | 10 |
| Jul | 90 | 10 |
| Aug | 86 | 14 |
| Sep | 75 | 25 |
| Oct | 61 | 39 |
| Nov | 53 | 47 |
| Dec | 51 | 49 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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 December 17, brings about 13 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around June 18, only 10 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.6 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.3 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 13.7 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:22 | 5:45 | 6:04 | 6:20 | 6:38 | 6:53 | 6:54 | 6:34 | 5:59 | 5:25 | 5:04 | 5:04 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:57 | 6:44 | 6:16 | 5:41 | 5:15 | 5:08 | 5:18 | 5:35 | 5:50 | 6:06 | 6:27 | 6:49 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.6 | 5:22 | 6:57 |
| Feb | 13.0 | 5:45 | 6:44 |
| Mar | 12.2 | 6:04 | 6:16 |
| Apr | 11.4 | 6:20 | 5:41 |
| May | 10.6 | 6:38 | 5:15 |
| Jun | 10.3 | 6:53 | 5:08 |
| Jul | 10.4 | 6:54 | 5:18 |
| Aug | 11.0 | 6:34 | 5:35 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 5:59 | 5:50 |
| Oct | 12.7 | 5:25 | 6:06 |
| Nov | 13.4 | 5:04 | 6:27 |
| Dec | 13.7 | 5:04 | 6:49 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Newcastle averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 8 and 26 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.5 months, from around Apr 9 to Sep 23. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 25 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is December, down near 9 sunny days — about 66% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Mixed |
| Feb | 12 | Mixed |
| Mar | 15 | Mixed |
| Apr | 18 | Bright |
| May | 24 | Brilliant |
| Jun | 25 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 26 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 24 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 19 | Bright |
| Oct | 12 | Mixed |
| Nov | 9 | Mixed |
| Dec | 9 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
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 Newcastle, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 3.7 months, from around November 29 to March 21. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 44% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around March 22 to November 28, and October is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 13 | 15 | 37 | 85 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 82 | 52 | 21 |
| Comfortable (%) | 43 | 46 | 48 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 42 | 55 |
| Humid (%) | 43 | 38 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
| Muggy (%) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 43 | 43 | 1 |
| Feb | 15 | 46 | 38 | 1 |
| Mar | 37 | 48 | 15 | 0 |
| Apr | 85 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 82 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 52 | 42 | 6 | 0 |
| Dec | 21 | 55 | 23 | 0 |
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 Newcastle is steady company: average speeds sit near 9 km/h — calm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | calm |
| Feb | 7 | calm |
| Mar | 7 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 8 | calm |
| Jun | 9 | calm |
| Jul | 9 | calm |
| Aug | 10 | calm |
| Sep | 10 | calm |
| Oct | 10 | calm |
| Nov | 9 | calm |
| Dec | 9 | calm |
Hazard calendar for Newcastle
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Newcastle's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Newcastle
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Newcastle throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late September, Newcastle 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 Newcastle for general outdoor tourist activities is from late March to late September, with a peak score in the last week of May.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.4 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| Rating | fair | good | good | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.4 | fair |
| Feb | 5.9 | good |
| Mar | 6.6 | good |
| Apr | 7.8 | ideal |
| May | 8.5 | ideal |
| Jun | 8.3 | ideal |
| Jul | 8.3 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.5 | ideal |
| Sep | 7.6 | ideal |
| Oct | 6.3 | good |
| Nov | 5.5 | good |
| Dec | 5.3 | fair |
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 Newcastle for hot-weather activities run from early February to late May and again from mid August to late October, with a peak score in the first week of September.
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 Newcastle, by month
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 27°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.
In January, Newcastle sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Newcastle by month
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 Newcastle peaks around January 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | High |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Newcastle
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 4 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 4 |
| May | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 4.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 4.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 6 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4 |
| Oct | 8 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 7 |
Air quality in Newcastle by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Newcastle is worst in September — around 54 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.0× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11 | 13 | 16 | 22 | 27 | 30 | 35 | 44 | 54 | 26 | 15 | 12 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 13 | Moderate |
| Mar | 16 | Moderate |
| Apr | 22 | Moderate |
| May | 27 | Moderate |
| Jun | 30 | Moderate |
| Jul | 35 | Moderate |
| Aug | 44 | Poor |
| Sep | 54 | Poor |
| Oct | 26 | Moderate |
| Nov | 15 | Moderate |
| Dec | 12 | Good |
Growing season
Newcastle is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 96 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 97 | 0 |
| Jul | 96 | 0 |
| Aug | 99 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
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. Newcastle banks about 2,914 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 366 | 329 | 324 | 239 | 160 | 77 | 74 | 155 | 242 | 287 | 310 | 350 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 366 |
| Feb | 329 |
| Mar | 324 |
| Apr | 239 |
| May | 160 |
| Jun | 77 |
| Jul | 74 |
| Aug | 155 |
| Sep | 242 |
| Oct | 287 |
| Nov | 310 |
| Dec | 350 |
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.
Newcastle receives about 5.3 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.7 and 6.6 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.4 months, from around Sep 5 to Mar 19. The brightest month is December, averaging about 6.5 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 3.7 kWh/m² — roughly 43% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.4 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.4 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.1 | Intense |
| Mar | 5.4 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.7 | Bright |
| May | 4.1 | Bright |
| Jun | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4.7 | Bright |
| Sep | 5.5 | Bright |
| Oct | 5.9 | Bright |
| Nov | 6.3 | Intense |
| Dec | 6.6 | Intense |
Where is Newcastle?
Newcastle sits at 27.8°S, 29.9°E, 1,195 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Volksrust, 44 km away.
Topography around Newcastle
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Newcastle.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Newcastle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 76 m around an average of 1,205 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,427 m.
The land around Newcastle is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (80%) within 80 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
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 Newcastle (-27.758°, 29.9318°, elevation 1,195 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. 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).