Pietermaritzburg weather in February

In February, Pietermaritzburg sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 113 mm of rain across 14.9 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in February, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 24 min at the start of February to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Pietermaritzburg's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pietermaritzburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
17°
12th coldest
Rainfall
113 mm
14.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:41 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.38 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Pietermaritzburg is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
6,661/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 27°C through the month.

A typical February day in Pietermaritzburg reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and on par with March.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32717
42717
52717
62717
72717
82718
92718
102717
112717
122717
132717
142717
152717
162717
172717
182717
192717
202717
212717
222717
232717
242717
252717
262717
272717
282717

Pietermaritzburg weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°1341813.75.3
Feb27° / 17°11314.913.15.5
Mar26° / 16°9614.312.26.1
Apr24° / 14°589.711.37.1
May23° / 10°295.110.58.1
Jun21° / 203.410.18.2
Jul21° / 293.810.38.1
Aug23° / 325.910.97.9
Sep24° / 12°569.511.87.2
Oct24° / 13°9215.412.76.1
Nov25° / 14°11617.213.55.5
Dec26° / 16°12919.213.95.2

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33961
43961
54060
63961
74060
84159
94060
104060
114159
124159
134060
144060
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214357
224456
234456
244555
254654
264654
274852
284852

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Pietermaritzburg gets around 113 mm of rain over 14.9 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 54% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
157
257
356
456
555
655
755
854
954
1054
1154
1254
1354
1454
1554
1654
1754
1854
1954
2054
2153
2253
2352
2451
2551
2650
2749
2848

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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 38% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11124938
21124938
31124838
41124839
51114839
62124739
72124739
82124640
92124640
102124540
112134540
122134440
132134440
142134440
152134440
162144440
173144340
183144340
193144340
203154339
213154339
223154438
233164437
243164536
253164635
263164734
274164833
284164931

Wind in February

Winds average 7 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 24 min at the start of February to 12 h 42 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 5:30 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 6:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.45:306:54
213.45:316:54
313.45:316:53
413.35:326:52
513.35:336:52
613.35:346:51
713.35:356:51
813.25:366:50
913.25:366:49
1013.25:376:49
1113.25:386:48
1213.15:396:47
1313.15:406:46
1413.15:406:46
1513.15:416:45
1613.05:426:44
1713.05:436:43
1813.05:436:42
1913.05:446:41
2012.95:456:41
2112.95:466:40
2212.95:476:39
2312.85:476:38
2412.85:486:37
2512.85:496:36
2612.85:496:35
2712.75:506:34
2812.75:516:33

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.38 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in January across the year — February's 5.38 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
Planning a trip in February

Hazard calendar for Pietermaritzburg

In seasonPeak

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

Pietermaritzburg'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

Is February a good time to visit Pietermaritzburg?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

February is a reasonable time to visit Pietermaritzburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pietermaritzburg in February

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

In February, Pietermaritzburg sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 17°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Pietermaritzburg in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pietermaritzburg peaks around January 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg is worst in July — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1399 µg/m³Jan 1222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar42Poor
Apr60Unhealthy
May91Unhealthy
Jun92Unhealthy
Jul100Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pietermaritzburg?

Pietermaritzburg sits at 29.6°S, 30.4°E, 636 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mpophomeni, 21 km away.

Topography around Pietermaritzburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pietermaritzburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 653 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,321 m.

The land around Pietermaritzburg is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
1,026 m
80 km
2,321 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
February weather nearby: Mpophomeni 21 km · Howick 22 km · Richmond 31 km · Mpumalanga 32 km · Pinetown 53 km · Ntuzuma 55 km · Folweni 58 km · Mooi River 60 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 Pietermaritzburg (-29.6168°, 30.3928°, elevation 636 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).