South Africa is famous for its sunshine, mild winters and generally pleasant climate – but this doesn’t mean we don’t experience some serious weather drama from time to time. From bone-chilling mornings in the highlands to sweltering afternoons in the desert, Mzansi has its fair share of thermal extremes. Let’s dive into the coldest and hottest places in South Africa – and just for fun, compare them to the global record holders too.
The coldest place in South Africa
When it comes to frostbite and frozen toes, one name repeatedly pops up: Molteno in the Eastern Cape. This humble sheep-farming region in the Stormberg Mountains holds the dubious honour of having recorded the lowest official temperature in South Africa – a bitterly cold -20.1°C, back in August 2013.
Now, Molteno and nearby Barkly East, Lady Grey and Rhodes are no strangers to sub-zero mornings. In fact, Molteno’s annual average minimum temperature is about 2.8 °C, making it one of the coldest reporting stations in the country. At altitudes exceeding 1 800m, these towns often get snow in winter and frequently wake up covered in thick frost. In fact, the whole region is sometimes dubbed “Little Siberia”, especially by locals who’ve had to defrost their borehole pumps with a blowtorch!
Another freezing contender is Sutherland in the Northern Cape. Best known for its astronomical observatory, this little Karoo town punches well below zero in winter, often seeing minimums around -10°C and daytime highs that barely scrape past 5°C during cold snaps.
Why so cold? It’s all about altitude and latitude. The interior of South Africa sits on a high plateau, and towns like Molteno and Sutherland are far from the ocean’s moderating influence. Clear skies, dry air and long winter nights also allow surface temperatures to drop like a rock.
The hottest place in South Africa
The other end of the spectrum is in the Northern Cape. Specifically, the Augrabies Falls area near Kakamas, where an eye-watering 51.5°C was recorded in 1948. While there’s some debate about the accuracy of older thermometers, this figure remains the highest temperature ever officially recorded in South Africa. More recent verified highs include 48.6 °C on 5 January 2016 and 46.7 °C in November 2023 at the automatic station
Even if we take a more modern and conservative approach, temperatures in Vioolsdrif, Upington, Pofadder and the wider Richtersveld region routinely hit the high 40s during summer. January and February are especially brutal, with car dashboards often displaying 50°C or more – though admittedly, that’s in direct sun, not in official Stevenson screens!
Vioolsdrif, on the Orange River border with Namibia, is one of the driest, sunniest and hottest places in the country. If you’re planning a trip there in summer, remember to pack more water than you think you’ll need – and perhaps give the black coffee a skip.
Why so hot? Again, it’s all about geography. The Northern Cape lies in a subtropical zone with sparse vegetation, limited cloud cover and very little rainfall. The wide-open, sun-baked terrain heats up rapidly and holds onto that heat long into the night. Plus, there’s very little wind to offer relief.
Coldest and warmest places by province
If you really want to win your next pub quiz or flex your trivia muscles around the campfire, here’s a quick look at the thermal titans of each province:
- Eastern Cape
Coldest: Molteno and Rhodes
Warmest: Kirkwood and inland Great Karoo
- Western Cape
Coldest: Matroosberg and Ceres during cold snaps
Warmest: Vredendal and Clanwilliam – where summer highs regularly top 40°C
- Northern Cape
Coldest: Sutherland
Warmest: Augrabies, Vioolsdrif, and Pofadder
- Free State
Coldest: Bethlehem and Fouriesburg
Warmest: Bloemfontein can get hot, but the northwest parts near Zastron and Fauresmith sizzle
- KwaZulu-Natal
Coldest: Underberg and Nottingham Road in the Midlands
Warmest: Richards Bay and Pongola – hot and humid!
- Gauteng
Coldest: Heidelberg and Bronkhorstspruit can be nippy in winter
Warmest: Pretoria is consistently warmer than Joburg, especially in summer
- Mpumalanga
Coldest: Dullstroom and Belfast
Warmest: Komatipoort and Malelane – low-lying and sweltering
- Limpopo
Coldest: Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof
Warmest: Musina, often one of the hottest towns in the country
- North West
Coldest: Lichtenburg and Ventersdorp in winter
Warmest: Vryburg and Taung can cook in summer
Each province brings its own climate quirks – which is part of what makes overlanding across SA such an adventure. One minute you’re scraping frost off the windscreen, the next you’re searching for shade and a slab of ice.
South Africa’s soggy spots
While some parts of the country are parched and dusty, others are downright soggy. The highest recorded annual rainfall in South Africa typically occurs in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, particularly around areas like Kokstad, Harding and the southern Berg foothills, where rainfall totals can easily reach 1 500mm to 2 000mm a year.
The Amatola Mountains in the Eastern Cape also receive generous rain, especially around Hogsback, which is known for its lush forests and misty conditions. And while it’s not in the mountains, the subtropical Lowveld near Sabie and Graskop in Mpumalanga also sees frequent rainfall – especially in summer – thanks to its thick vegetation and proximity to escarpment cloud build-up.
The record for the most rainfall in a single year, however, goes to Jonkershoek near Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, which once recorded a whopping 3 749mm in a calendar year – nearly four times the national average. That’s enough to make your gumboots grow mould.
Let it snow
We may not be a ski destination like Switzerland, but South Africa does get snow – and sometimes quite a lot of it. The Drakensberg Mountains are the most reliable spot for snowfall, especially in the Lesotho highlands, where places like Afriski can get enough snow for skiing and snowboarding during a good winter.
Elsewhere, towns like Rhodes, Barkly East, Underberg, and Sani Pass often get dusted with white powder, and even Joburg has been known to have a surprise flurry.
One of the heaviest recorded snowfalls in SA was in July 1981, when massive parts of the country, including the Free State and Eastern Cape, were blanketed in snow for days – and kids built snowmen in places where snow is normally just a rumour.
Hail of a storm
Then there’s hail – the summer menace of the Highveld. Johannesburg and Pretoria residents are well-acquainted with golf ball-sized ice pellets that crack windscreens, shred gardens and leave insurance companies weeping. The region experiences some of the most frequent and severe hailstorms in the world.
The largest recorded hailstone in South Africa reportedly fell near Welkom in the Free State in the late 1980s – it measured over 10cm in diameter and left a crater when it hit the ground.
The world’s wildest temperatures
Just to put our local extremes into perspective, let’s take a quick detour around the globe.
- Coldest inhabited place on earth: That honour goes to Oymyakon in Siberia, Russia. In 1933, it recorded a mind-numbing -67.7°C. Children still walk to school in -40°C there, which makes our frosty mornings in Dullstroom look positively tropical.
- Hottest temperature ever recorded on earth: This one’s a bit controversial, but the current verified record is 56.7°C, measured in Death Valley, California, in 1913. There are claims of hotter readings in Libya and Iran, but these are disputed. Either way, it makes Augrabies’ 51.5°C seem relatively bearable!
- Most extreme temperature range: In Verkhoyansk, also in Siberia, the mercury has dropped to -67°C and risen to 38°C – a staggering range of over 100°C. No thank you.
Weather as a tourism drawcard
Believe it or not, some travellers are drawn because of the extreme temperatures. Snow chasers love the idea of skiing or snowboarding in Tiffindell near Rhodes, South Africa’s only real ski resort, while off-roaders and overlanders often see a trip to the Kalahari in midsummer as a rite of passage. It’s not everyone’s idea of a good time, but it does make for great stories around the braai.
Final thoughts
South Africa may be famous for its sunshine and moderate weather, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll discover a land of extremes. Whether you’re a lover of icy mornings, snow-dusted landscapes or sizzling desert heat, our country delivers it all – sometimes in the space of a single road trip. Just don’t forget your sunscreen and your beanie.
