Being in the southern hemisphere, South Africa’s seasons are reversed from the likes of Europe and the United States.
South Africa summer solstice is on 21 December, and thus the winter solstice is on 21 of June.
South Africa is situated in a tropical to a subtropical region with altitudes varying between sea level and 1850m (6000ft), the majority of the country as a temperate climate.
South Africans do not think in terms of four seasons, instead, we use two seasons, namely summer and winter which represent either a rainy or dry season. Autumn and spring are very short in the northern part of the country and more pronounced towards the south.
In the northern part of the country, summer is the rainy season with regular storms in the afternoons, which are generally late in the day and last no more than a couple of hours. Depending on where you are in the country, temperatures may vary from lows of 15°C to highs of 40°C during the day with an average of 21°C. In winter, the dry season in the north of the country, it is cold with average temperatures at 10°C, which dropping below 0°C and rarely going above 20°C during the day.
The southern parts of the country are inverted with the summers being the dry season and the winters being the rainy season.
Average temperatures in the south of the country in summer at 23°C and in winter at 13°C.
The Drakensberg and a part of the Free State in the centre of the country can get very cold in winter, as low as -12°C.
As of 2018, a majority of the country has been gripped by drought for a few years.