South Africa’s weather conditions alternate between, subtropical, Mediterranean and - more commonly – temperate. At best the country is warm and sunny, with cool evenings and mornings. Rains are particularly seasoned in summer, with the exception of the western regions of the country (i.e. Cape Town, etc) which experience some showers during the winter months – from mid May right to about early August – influenced significantly by oceanic movements and elevation rather than just latitudinal shifts.
South Africa’s climatic conditions vary in response to changes in pressure systems which are high during the winter months and low during the summer. Variations in temperature from the north-end to the south-end of the country are almost negligible. This is in direct contrast to the disparate climatic conditions from the eastern to the western coast of the country. This change is directly influenced by the warm ocean current which sweeps along the easterly Indian Ocean providing a warm humid Durban climate. Whereas there is a cold current that sweeps in a northerly direction through the Cape coast. Moderate temperatures in summer are recorded to be between 21oC to 38oC with the highest recorded temperatures peaking at 48oC. The winter months have maximum temperatures within the range 15oC and 18oC, with the lowest recorded temperature reaching -6.1oC. According to the National Physical Laboratory of the UK, Cape Town has the fifth-best blue sky in the world.
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