Climate and average weather in Richards Bay
In Richards Bay, the weather is humid, hot, showery, and partly cloudy and remarkably steady, with daytime highs holding near hot levels all year. The wettest stretch peaks around January.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Richards Bay typically varies from 15°C to 29°C, and is rarely below 13°C or above 33°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Richards Bay for warm-weather activities is from early April to mid October.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 29°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 15°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 108 mm
- Driest
- Aug
- 39 mm
- Rain / yr
- 873 mm
- 122 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.2–13.8 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 9 m
- 28.8°S
- Clearest
- Jun
- 24% cloud
Richards Bay is town.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 13 µg/m³ · 2012
- Founded
- 1879
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Richards Bay 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 mid October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Richards Bay, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Richards Bay stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 29°C and low of 23°C; the coolest is July, with an average low of 15°C and high of 23°C.
Days typically run about 7°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 28 |
| Avg low (°C) | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 23 |
| Feb | 29 | 23 |
| Mar | 28 | 22 |
| Apr | 27 | 20 |
| May | 25 | 18 |
| Jun | 24 | 16 |
| Jul | 23 | 15 |
| Aug | 24 | 16 |
| Sep | 25 | 18 |
| Oct | 25 | 19 |
| Nov | 26 | 20 |
| Dec | 28 | 22 |
Average hourly temperature in Richards Bay
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 February afternoons, near 29°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 15°C.
Richards Bay 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 | 29° / 23° | 108 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 29° / 23° | 95 | 11.9 | 13 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 28° / 22° | 97 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 27° / 20° | 79 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| May | 25° / 18° | 56 | 7.6 | 10.6 | 7.8 |
| Jun | 24° / 16° | 39 | 6.6 | 10.2 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 23° / 15° | 47 | 6.9 | 10.4 | 8.0 |
| Aug | 24° / 16° | 39 | 7 | 11 | 8.0 |
| Sep | 25° / 18° | 54 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 25° / 19° | 80 | 12.2 | 12.7 | 6.5 |
| Nov | 26° / 20° | 93 | 13.2 | 13.4 | 6.0 |
| Dec | 28° / 22° | 86 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Richards Bay gets about 873 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 6.5 months, from around Sep 29 to Apr 13, peaking in November at about 46% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 24.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 108 mm over about 14 wet days; August is the driest, with 39 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 43 | 43 | 40 | 33 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 27 | 39 | 43 | 39 |
| Rain days | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 14 |
| Feb | 43 | 12 |
| Mar | 40 | 12 |
| Apr | 33 | 10 |
| May | 26 | 8 |
| Jun | 22 | 7 |
| Jul | 22 | 7 |
| Aug | 23 | 7 |
| Sep | 27 | 8 |
| Oct | 39 | 12 |
| Nov | 43 | 13 |
| Dec | 39 | 12 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Richards Bay collects about 873 mm of rain across 122 wet days — roughly 73 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 108 mm, while August is the driest at just 39 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 34% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 108 | 95 | 97 | 79 | 56 | 39 | 47 | 39 | 54 | 80 | 93 | 86 |
| Rain days | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 108 | 14 |
| Feb | 95 | 12 |
| Mar | 97 | 12 |
| Apr | 79 | 10 |
| May | 56 | 8 |
| Jun | 39 | 7 |
| Jul | 47 | 7 |
| Aug | 39 | 7 |
| Sep | 54 | 8 |
| Oct | 80 | 12 |
| Nov | 93 | 13 |
| Dec | 86 | 12 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Richards Bay, 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 6 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around September 13. The clearest month is June, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 86% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 14 and lasts for 5.6 months, ending around March 2. The cloudiest month is November, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 60% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 51 | 59 | 65 | 69 | 82 | 86 | 85 | 78 | 63 | 47 | 40 | 45 |
| Cloudier (%) | 49 | 41 | 35 | 31 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 37 | 53 | 60 | 55 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 49 |
| Feb | 59 | 41 |
| Mar | 65 | 35 |
| Apr | 69 | 31 |
| May | 82 | 18 |
| Jun | 86 | 14 |
| Jul | 85 | 15 |
| Aug | 78 | 22 |
| Sep | 63 | 37 |
| Oct | 47 | 53 |
| Nov | 40 | 60 |
| Dec | 45 | 55 |
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 January 1, brings about 13 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around June 6, 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 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 13.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:12 | 5:36 | 5:55 | 6:13 | 6:31 | 6:47 | 6:48 | 6:27 | 5:51 | 5:16 | 4:53 | 4:53 |
| Sunset (PM) | 6:51 | 6:37 | 6:08 | 5:31 | 5:05 | 4:57 | 5:07 | 5:25 | 5:41 | 5:58 | 6:21 | 6:43 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.6 | 5:12 | 6:51 |
| Feb | 13.0 | 5:36 | 6:37 |
| Mar | 12.2 | 5:55 | 6:08 |
| Apr | 11.3 | 6:13 | 5:31 |
| May | 10.6 | 6:31 | 5:05 |
| Jun | 10.2 | 6:47 | 4:57 |
| Jul | 10.4 | 6:48 | 5:07 |
| Aug | 11.0 | 6:27 | 5:25 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 5:51 | 5:41 |
| Oct | 12.7 | 5:16 | 5:58 |
| Nov | 13.4 | 4:53 | 6:21 |
| Dec | 13.8 | 4:53 | 6:43 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Richards Bay averages about 15 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 7 and 23 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.5 months, from around Apr 3 to Sep 16. The sunniest month is June, with roughly 22 sunny days (bright).
The greyest month is November, down near 7 sunny days — about 69% fewer than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 10 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Mixed |
| Feb | 11 | Mixed |
| Mar | 15 | Mixed |
| Apr | 16 | Bright |
| May | 21 | Bright |
| Jun | 22 | Bright |
| Jul | 22 | Bright |
| Aug | 20 | Bright |
| Sep | 15 | Mixed |
| Oct | 9 | Mixed |
| Nov | 7 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 8 | 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 Richards Bay, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 7.1 months, from around October 13 to May 15. The muggiest month is February, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 99% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around May 16 to October 12, and July is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 93% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 42 | 48 | 35 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| Comfortable (%) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 29 | 44 | 45 | 43 | 36 | 26 | 13 | 6 |
| Humid (%) | 12 | 9 | 15 | 36 | 48 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 43 | 45 | 35 | 23 |
| Muggy (%) | 47 | 45 | 49 | 46 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 42 | 50 |
| Oppressive (%) | 38 | 45 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 21 |
| Miserable (%) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | Oppressive (%) | Miserable (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0 | 2 | 12 | 47 | 38 | 0 |
| Feb | 0 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 45 | 1 |
| Mar | 0 | 3 | 15 | 49 | 32 | 0 |
| Apr | 2 | 11 | 36 | 46 | 5 | 0 |
| May | 11 | 29 | 48 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 42 | 44 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 48 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 35 | 43 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 15 | 36 | 43 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 7 | 26 | 45 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 4 | 13 | 35 | 42 | 6 | 0 |
| Dec | 1 | 6 | 23 | 50 | 21 | 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.
Across the year, average wind speed in Richards Bay is typically light breeze, near 17 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.6 months, from around Aug 4 to Jan 21. The windiest month is October, averaging about 19 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jan 22 to Aug 3, with June the calmest month at about 15 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | light breeze |
| Feb | 16 | light breeze |
| Mar | 16 | light breeze |
| Apr | 16 | light breeze |
| May | 15 | light breeze |
| Jun | 15 | light breeze |
| Jul | 16 | light breeze |
| Aug | 18 | light breeze |
| Sep | 19 | light breeze |
| Oct | 19 | light breeze |
| Nov | 19 | light breeze |
| Dec | 18 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Richards Bay
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Richards Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Best time to visit Richards Bay
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Richards Bay throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early October, Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay for general outdoor tourist activities is from early April to mid October, with a peak score in the third week of June.
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) | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.9 |
| Rating | fair | fair | good | good | ideal | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | good | good | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.3 | fair |
| Feb | 5.3 | fair |
| Mar | 5.9 | good |
| Apr | 6.9 | good |
| May | 7.7 | ideal |
| Jun | 8.2 | ideal |
| Jul | 8.1 | ideal |
| Aug | 8.0 | ideal |
| Sep | 7.4 | good |
| Oct | 6.6 | good |
| Nov | 6.0 | good |
| Dec | 5.9 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, Richards Bay suits hot-weather activities for most of the year, with a peak score in the third week of May.
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 Richards Bay, 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.
Richards Bay packs about the same all year — highs hold near 29°C. Across the year the things worth having are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection.
In February, Richards Bay sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Richards Bay
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 25 | Warm |
| May | 24 | Warm |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 22 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index (midday) in Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay peaks around February 10 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 4 (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) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Extreme | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Richards Bay
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 February the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 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) | 8.5 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 5 | 6 | 7.5 | 8 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 0 |
| May | 4.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 5 | 0 |
| Sep | 6 | 2 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 8 | 5.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 6.5 |
Air quality in Richards Bay 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 Richards Bay is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Richards Bay's WHO annual average of 13 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Growing season
Richards Bay is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 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 | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 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. Richards Bay banks about 4,592 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 485 | 444 | 470 | 402 | 356 | 288 | 285 | 312 | 335 | 367 | 394 | 453 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 485 |
| Feb | 444 |
| Mar | 470 |
| Apr | 402 |
| May | 356 |
| Jun | 288 |
| Jul | 285 |
| Aug | 312 |
| Sep | 335 |
| Oct | 367 |
| Nov | 394 |
| Dec | 453 |
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.
Richards Bay receives about 4.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.1 and 6.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.1 months, from around Sep 22 to Mar 27. The brightest month is January, averaging about 6.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 3.2 kWh/m² — roughly 48% less than the January peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.1 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 |
| Level | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.1 | Intense |
| Feb | 5.8 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.1 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.2 | Bright |
| May | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3.2 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3.3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4.0 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4.6 | Bright |
| Oct | 5.0 | Bright |
| Nov | 5.5 | Bright |
| Dec | 6.0 | Intense |
Where is Richards Bay?
Richards Bay sits at 28.8°S, 32.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empangeni, 14 km away.
Topography around Richards Bay
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Richards Bay.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Richards Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,252 m.
The land around Richards Bay is covered by trees (25%) and water (23%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and water (34%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) 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 Richards Bay (-28.783°, 32.0377°, elevation 9 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).