Best time to visit Johannesburg

August is the best month in Johannesburg, scoring 98 out of 100, with December the weakest at 65. The 33-point spread means timing is worth planning around without being decisive. The good window runs May to September — 5 months within ten points of the best.

October is the warmest month at 27 °C and June the coolest at 17.4 °C — a 9.6 °C spread across the year. Around 33 days a year top 30 °C, concentrated in October and the months either side. 19 nights a year dip below freezing.

There is a real wet season here. January, February, November and December carry the rain — up to 20 wet days in a month — while May to September drop as low as 1. That 19-day gap is the biggest single difference between a good month and a bad one in Johannesburg, and it moves further than the temperature does.

Daylight runs from 10.5 hours in winter to 13.8 in summer, enough to notice on a sightseeing itinerary.

The three strongest months are August, May, September. The one to think twice about is December. Each month below has its own page with rainfall reliability, extremes, daylight and crowd levels.

Johannesburg month by month