Pretoria Holiday Weather Overview
Pretoria is one of South African's 3 capital cities, and functions as the administrative hub of the country. Situated less than 1 hour from Johannesburg, many visitors find it a more genteel alternative to a Johannesburg base. With leafy streets and historic buildings, owing to its Boer heritage, many people report that the city feels safer than Johannesburg, and offers many attractions in its own right.
Pretoria's Climate
Pretoria has a subtropical climate, which accounts for its short winters, which are relatively dry, and its long but wet summers. Sheltered in a valley, the surrounding mountains trap warm air and lead to higher temperatures than you might expect, given Pretoria's elevated position.
Spring in Pretoria
September to November is spring in Pretoria. At this time of year, the city's gardens and parks burst into life with spectacular flower displays, and it's a very good time to visit the botanical gardens, or Pretoria Zoo - rated among the top 10 zoos in the world.
Temperatures in the spring months are typically around 20°C, although they can climb to the high 20s or drop as low as 12oc overnight. If you're visiting Pretoria in the spring, take a lightweight jacket or cardigan for the cooler evenings. Although there is barely any rain in September, it does start to increase through the spring.
Summer in Pretoria
Between December and February, its summer in Pretoria. Daily temperatures hover at around 287°C, although it's not uncommon for the mercury to hit the mid-30s Celsius or even higher. At night, expect lows of around 18°C. Rain increases as the summer progresses, with a good 6 inches of rain in January. It rains on approximately 1 in 2 days during the summer, but not enough to disrupt your activities.
While away the summer days browsing in some of the many flea markets, or cool off in one of Pretoria's many municipal pools. Summer is also a good time to take an unforgettable cable car trip over the Hartbeespoort Dam.
Autumn in Pretoria
In March, April and May the temperature begins to fall in Pretoria, and by the end of May you're looking at day time highs of around 18°C, with overnight temperatures hovering at between 6 and 8°C. As the vegetation shows off its autumnal glory, this can be a very pleasant time to visit Pretoria. Autumn is a busy time for Pretoria's shopping centres and markets, and it's a great time to visit the city's museums too.
Winter in Pretoria
June, July and August are the winter months in Pretoria, and it can get surprisingly chilly. Overnight temperatures can fall below freezing, and mornings are often frosty. There is a lot of sunshine around, however, and you can go weeks at a time without seeing any rain. During the day, the sun warms Pretoria up to around 15-18°C, so you'll need to take some adaptable, layered clothing if you're visiting Pretoria in the winter.
Best months to visit Pretoria?
May and August are the best month to go for holiday or travel to Pretoria. The weather averages gathered from Pretoria weather forecast and Pretoria weather history also forecast these months temperature to be around 22°c and average of 343.8667 hours of sunshine in a month.
Coldest months of Pretoria?
July and June are the coldest months with temperature at around 7°c.
Which months receive most rainfall in Pretoria?
December and January receive most rainfall with precipitation count of 139.49mm.
Travelling to Pretoria? Check out our Weather averages of Pretoria to better plan your holiday or travel.
If you would just like to know what the weather was for a past dates for research or education or you are just curious then visit our historical weather of Pretoria section.