Nearly the entire country of South Africa
lies inside the temperate zone; with extremes of heat and cold being very rare.
Its positioning next to a subtropical high-pressure belt
of descending air constructs steady atmospheric environments over most of its
surface area; releasing a generally dry climate.
Since the majority of the country lies at reasonably high elevation, which
irritates the influence of latitude, even the tropical and near-tropical northern
areas are much cooler. High elevation and lack of the restrained power of the
sea create large temperature variations in most inland regions.
Winds
The climate is very much influenced by the oceans that enclose the country to
the east, south, and west. The moderate cyclones of the southern ocean
implement considerable authority on weather patterns, in particularly
throughout winter months. The ensuing warmer and less-dense air rises more
eagerly, helping the access of moisture-bearing clouds from the east.
Precipitation
South Africa
and the surrounding ocean areas are influenced throughout the year by
descending, opposing upper air masses that flow mainly eastward, generally
causing fine weather and low annual precipitation. Throughout the winter months;
June to August, cold polar air moves over the south-western, southern, and
south-eastern coastal areas, sometimes reaching the southern centre of the
country from the southwest. These polar masses come with cold fronts as well as
rain and snow. In the summer months; December to February, the Atlantic
high-pressure system clears up semi permanently over the southern and western
parts of the country. Local heating of the landmass from time to time causes
low-pressure circumstances to develop.
South Africa
is generally semiarid; its precipitation is extremely unpredictable, and
farmers often face water shortages. More than one-fifth of the country is arid
and receives less than 200 mm of precipitation annually, while almost half is
semiarid and receives between 200 mm and 600 mm annually. Only about six
percent of the country averages more than 1000 mm per year. The quantity of
precipitation steadily demurs from east to west. Whereas the KwaZulu-Natal coast obtains an added 1000 mm annually and Kimberley approximately 400 mm, Alexander Bay
on the west coast receives less than 50 mm.
Summer and Winter
Summers are warm to hot, with daytime temperatures usually ranging from 21°C
to 32°C. Higher elevations have lower temperatures, while the far northern and
north-eastern regions and the western upland and river valleys in the central
and southern states contain higher temperatures. At night temperatures fall
considerably in the centre; in some places by as much as 17°C, while on the
coast the daily range is much smaller. Winters are principally cool to cold,
with many higher areas often having temperatures lower than freezing point at
night but readings of 10°C to 21°C in the daytime. However, winters are
typically warm on the eastern and south-eastern coasts. Temperatures generally
decrease from east to west: Durban
has an annual average temperature of 21°C, while Port Nolloth; at comparable
latitude but on the west coast, records average temperatures at 14°C.
South Africa
has four distinctive regions that all typically experience various climatic
zones. Pretoria;
located to the north, Cape
Town; located to the west, Durban
Virginia; located to the east and Port
Elizabeth; located to the south.
Pretoria
The
eastern highland areas; comprising Johannesburg features a dried out climate filled with days
of unlimited sunshine. The region experiences high average daytime temperatures
of approximately 20ºC and cooler night climates when the temperature drops to a
chilly 5ºC. Between the months of October and April the region consists of
early evening showers regularly followed by thunder storms, allowing the weather
to never be too hot.
Cape Town
Positioned
on the Cape
Peninsula
between the waters of both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, Cape Town
experiences a distinctive Mediterranean climate. The Cape Town climate frequently boasts mild
winters and pleasant summers, yet if you are bearing in mind a holiday in Cape Town,
the highest temperatures occur in January and February when it can commonly
reach 25°C throughout the day. As well as consistently hot temperatures you can
expect up to eleven hours of sunshine during the day, as well as incredible
water temperatures of 19°C.
Durban Virginia
Durban
is blessed with tropical weather and a
great deal of sunshine all year round. Situated on the eastern board of South Africa
the flora is luxuriant and abundant. Temperatures can reach 32 °C in summer and
between 16°C and 25°C from June to August. Light rain falls throughout the year
even though summer is the wettest season. Water temperatures compare favourably
with the Mediterranean
in summer and in winter they rarely fall below 19 °C. Visitors and locals are
known to have a swimming in the oceans in the peak of winter.
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth
boasts a magnificent moderate climate all year round and has been rated as
having the fourth best weather in the world! Summers are dry and warm with
moderately low humidity, while winters are remarkably mild, with year-round
rainfall. Port Elizabeth
receives around 453mm of rain per year while receiving the lowest rainfall at
27mm in January and the highest at 47mm in October. The monthly delivery of
average daily maximum temperatures show that the average midday temperatures
for Port Elizabeth range from 19.5°C in July to 25°C in February. The region is
the coldest during July when the temperatures drop to 8°C on average during the
night.
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