Shakaskraal in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Shakaskraal sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 301 mm of rain over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 25°C in early December to 27°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.

Summer is Shakaskraal's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Shakaskraal's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
22°C
Rainfall
301 mm
40 wet days
Avg wind
16 km/h
Travel score
6.1
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Shakaskraal in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 25°C in early December to 27°C by late February.

A typical summer day in Shakaskraal reaches about 26°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Shakaskraal weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 22°10413.713.76.1
Feb27° / 23°9312.213.16.1
Mar26° / 22°9711.912.26.6
Apr25° / 20°849.611.37.2
May24° / 18°556.310.58.1
Jun22° / 16°355.410.18.1
Jul22° / 15°53610.37.9
Aug22° / 16°406.610.97.7
Sep23° / 17°729.811.87.0
Oct23° / 18°10213.412.76.3
Nov24° / 20°10914.113.56.1
Dec26° / 21°10313.813.96.1

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Shakaskraal gets around 301 mm of rain over 40 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 16 km/h across summer.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min in early December to 12 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.9 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Shakaskraal

In seasonPeak

In summer, Shakaskraal overlaps its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Shakaskraal sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

Is summer a good time to visit Shakaskraal?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.1
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Shakaskraal for sightseeing.

What to pack for Shakaskraal in Summer

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

In summer, Shakaskraal sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 22°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 40 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Shakaskraal in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 25°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) is warmest in February at about 25°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°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Refreshing

UV index in Shakaskraal in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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 Shakaskraal peaks around January 15 at about 12 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 12Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Shakaskraal in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Shakaskraal is worst in July — around 43 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.5× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodJul 1442 µg/m³Jan 198 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr20Moderate
May33Moderate
Jun40Poor
Jul43Poor
Aug35Poor
Sep29Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov14Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shakaskraal?

Shakaskraal sits at 29.4°S, 31.2°E, 36 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ballitoville, 10 km away.

Topography around Shakaskraal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shakaskraal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 m around an average of 59 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 596 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,533 m.

The land around Shakaskraal is covered by trees (36%), grassland (32%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, water (28%), trees (27%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and trees (35%), water (29%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
197 m
16 km
596 m
80 km
1,533 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Summer weather nearby: Ballitoville 10 km · KwaDukuza 15 km · Tongaat 17 km · Mandeni 39 km · Ntuzuma 41 km · Durban 49 km · Pinetown 52 km · Eshowe 67 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 Shakaskraal (-29.4493°, 31.2153°, elevation 36 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.