Northern Cape Weather and Climate

Although the Northern Cape Province is mainly semi-desert, the western areas of the Northern Cape, including Namaqualand, a small section of the Green Kalahari and Calvinia, Nieuwoudtville and Loeriesfontein in the Upper Karoo fall into the winter rainfall area from April to September. Sharing the same climate as Namaqualand, it’s not surprising these two sub-regions will give you breathtakingly beautiful explosive displays of wildflowers during spring months from July to October.  The eastern summer rainfall areas experience thunderstorms that resonate across the wide plains and powerful bolts of lightning puncture the earth. The Northern Cape’s weather is typical of the desert and semi-desert areas. This is a large dry region of fluctuating temperatures and varying topographies. The annual rainfall is sparse, only 50 to 400mm per annum. In January, afternoon temperatures usually range from 34 to 40º C. In 1939 an all time high of 47.8º C was recorded at the Orange River. Summer temperatures often top the 40 º C mark.

Winter days are warm. The onset of the night bringing dew and frost to supplement the low rainfall of the region. Sutherland in the Karoo is one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Its average minimum is -6ºC. In winter snow often blankets the surrounding mountains. On the whole, you can expect to enjoy hot summer days and chilly nights when visiting the Northern Cape, South Africa.  To start planning your trip, explore the Northern Cape with us! Enjoy browsing our info pages where you will find all the Northern Cape Attractions and destinations, photographs to inspire you and a good selection of accredited accommodation in Kimberley. You will find a user-friendly guide to accommodation, with listings sorted by region, town, and suburb and by categories from hotels and guesthouse to self-catering options. We hope you enjoy your stay in the fascinating Northern Cape Province!

 

 

SA-Venues.com South Africa Explored

google.com/+SAVenues

SA-Venues.com is an online Travel and Accommodation

GETTING TO KNOW THE NORTHERN CAPE

Home to the ancient San people, the Northern Cape is about wide-open spaces, an utterly beautiful coastline and a number of unique national parks offering the tourist a very different experience of the South African landscape. This province boasts a colorful history and a variety of cultural tourist attractions and is particularly well known for its incredible annual floral display that takes place in Namaqualand.

Overview The Northern Cape lies to the south of the mighty Orange River and comprises mostly desert and semi-desert. The landscape is characterized by vast arid plains with outcroppings of haphazard rock piles. The cold Atlantic Ocean forms the western boundary. This region covers the largest area of all the provinces in South Africa yet has the smallest population. The last remaining true San (Bushman) people live in the Kalahari area of the Northern Cape. The whole area, especially along the Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rock engravings. The province is also rich in fossils.

The first people of the Northern Cape were the San, who were gradually pushed out of the area by the arrival of Europeans, and other African tribes.  The Dutch came to the area to mine for copper under the famous Cape governor Simon van der Stel.  Mining has always defined the history in this part of the world and, when diamonds were discovered in Kimberley, unprecedented growth took place in the province under the leadership of men such as Barney Barnato and Cecil John Rhodes.  In 1899, the Northern province was the scene of the Anglo-Boer War, where Kimberley was one of the first towns to be besieged by the Boers.

Climate Apart from a narrow strip of winter-rainfall area along the coast, the Northern Cape is a semi-arid region with little rainfall in summer. The weather conditions are extreme cold and frosty in winter, and extremely high temperatures in summer. Sutherland, in the Hantam Karoo, is one of the coldest towns in southern Africa with an average winter minimum is -6º Celsius.  In winter, snow often blankets its surrounding mountains.

Major attractions in the area:

  • Richtersveld National Park
  • Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
  • Augrabies Falls National Park
  • Flowers, Flowers Everywhere During August and September, the area of Namaqualand is transformed into a brilliant carpet of wild flowers.
  • Rock Art
  • Diamond Digging Country Kimberley boasts an excellent museum called the Kimberley Mine Museum.
  • The Big Hole at Kimberley
  • Trains and Trams
  • Moffat Mission Station Missionaries, Robert Moffat and his wife Mary arrived in the Kuruman area in 1820.
  • Wonderwerk Cave Not too far from Kuruman, lies the Wonderwerk Cave.
  • The Kalahari Desert
  • Small-town delights The Northern Province is littered with small towns that are fast growing in popularity with the arty set. Places such as Nieuwoudtville, Calvinia, Poffadder and Springbok are definitely worth a visit, especially for their warm-hearted local hospitality.
  • Orange River Adventures
  • Pella Mission Pella Mission is truly in the middle of nowhere. Approximately 150km from Springbok, Pella boasts a striking yellow cathedral that was built by French missionaries in the late 1880’s.

 

Information courtesy of South African Tourism (www.southafrica.net)