Soweto Temperature by Month
Soweto, South Africa has an average annual maximum temperature of 24°C (75°F), with moderate seasonal shifts ranging from 19°C (66°F) in July to 27°C (81°F) in January. Below you'll find a full monthly breakdown and a comparison with cities worldwide.
Soweto Monthly Temperatures
The moderate changes in the climate in Soweto ensure gradual weather shifts through each season. At night, temperatures drop to between 16°C (61°F) and 4°C (39°F) depending on the time of year.
The chart below illustrates the average maximum day and minimum night temperatures in Soweto by month:
The minimum temperature is often recorded between 4 AM and 6 AM, while the highest temperature is usually reached at 3 PM, when the sun's heating effect is strongest. January, the warmest month, gets 250 hours of sunshine.
The chart below shows the average temperature throughout the year:
Temperature: Soweto vs South Africa
The map below shows the annual temperature across South Africa. You can also select individual months if you want to compare a specific time of year.
very warm
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Soweto vs World: Temperature Compared
Soweto's average annual maximum temperature is 24°C (75°F). To put that in context, here's how it compares to a few well-known destinations:
Lisbon, Portugal averages 21°C (70°F) annually — warm summers, mild winters, and rain mainly in the cooler months.
Queenstown, New Zealand averages 10°C (50°F) annually — remember seasons are flipped, so its coldest months fall in June and July.
New York City, USA averages 17°C (63°F) a year, with hot humid summers and cold winters that bring regular snowfall.
Brisbane, Australia averages 26°C (79°F) a year, with warm winters and hot, humid summers.
What Does the Temperature Feel Like in Soweto?
Temperature alone doesn't tell the whole story — humidity plays a big role in how warm or cold it actually feels. High humidity in summer makes the heat feel more intense, particularly once temperatures climb above 25°C. In winter, the same humidity can make cold air feel sharper than the thermometer suggests.
In Soweto, July is the coolest month, with average highs of 19°C (66°F) and humidity around 49% — considered moderate. In January, the warmest month, temperatures average 27°C (81°F) with 69% humidity — conditions that feel high. For a full picture, see our humidity page.
Climate temperature data is typically calculated as a 30-year average. This smooths out year-to-year variability and gives a more reliable picture of what a place is actually like, rather than what happened in any single unusual year.
The readings come from a range of sources — land-based weather stations, ocean buoys, ships, and satellites. That data is collected by weather services around the world, then pooled, quality-checked, and averaged to produce the climate records you see here.
Seasonal temperature shifts influence more than just how warm it feels — they also drive changes in rainfall, cloud cover, and wind patterns throughout the year.
Warmer air holds more moisture, which tends to mean heavier or more frequent rain during the warmer months. When temperatures drop in winter, any precipitation that does fall is more likely to come as snow or sleet, though in Soweto this rarely lasts long on the ground.
For more on Soweto's weather — including monthly rainfall, sunshine hours, and humidity — visit our Soweto climate page.
