Autumn Weather in Africa Autumn in Africa just like any other place. In the southern hemisphere of Africa, seasons are opposite to those of Europe and North America.

When is Autumn Weather in South Africa

About the Causes of Seasons and Weather in Africa

Autumn in Africa just like any other place around the world, it is a season between summer and winter where the temperatures gradually decrease, leaves fall from the trees, and animals begin preparation for winter. Southern Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere—the half of Earth south of the Equator—and about 60% of Africa lies there.

Countries Fully in the Southern Hemisphere: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe all lie entirely south of the Equator.

Countries Partly in the Southern Hemisphere: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, and Uganda extend across the Equator but have significant areas in the Southern Hemisphere.

Autumn in Cape Town, South Africa is from March to April

In North America, autumn traditionally starts on September 21 and ends on December 21. The autumn season in South Africa is marked by vivid scenery, warm pleasant days, and crisp, cool mornings and evenings. Autumn in Cape Town is warm and dry with days getting shorter and temperatures cooling as winter approaches.

Cape Town is a coastal city and the second most populous urban area in South Africa after Johannesburg. With ocean on two sides, coastal temperatures are moderated and have relatively small ranges.

Africa Has Seasons Like Any Other Continent

The Earth’s movement around the Sun causes the seasons; the tilt of the Earth’s axis controls the angle of sunlight. In autumn, the Sun is lower in the sky, so rays strike at a shallower angle, spreading out their energy and delivering less direct heat.

Longer nights and shorter days reduce heating, so temperatures cool. In summer, longer days allow the surface to warm more. Seasons are opposite across the Equator—when it’s fall in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Cape Town (August) the average temperature is about 55°F (13°C). In Tallahassee, Florida (August) it averages about 85°F (29°C).

Why Climate Zones Explain Africa’s Weather Better Than Seasons

Instead of looking only at seasons—too general for a continent this large—use climate zones. Africa has six major zones that shape climate and vegetation: Equatorial, Humid Tropical, Tropical, Semidesert (Sahelian), Mediterranean, and Desert. Learn more about Africa’s desert ecosystems and how these zones shape life on the continent.

Africa’s weather is influenced by latitude, altitude, distance from the ocean, prevailing winds, and ocean currents. Explore the Turkana people in the Ilemi Triangle to see how geography and climate influence culture.

Did you know? In Southern Africa, spring runs September–December, summer December–March, autumn March–April, and winter June–September.

Autumn in South Africa

Autumn in South Africa — leaves of gold and green

Autumn in the Western Cape of South Africa

Autumn in Johannesburg, South Africa

Did you know? South Africa is a subtropical region, moderated by ocean on two sides of the triangle-shaped country and the altitude of the interior plateau. With diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions in the 2011 census, 42.4% of the population described themselves as Colored, 38.6% Black African, 15.7% White, and 1.4% Indian or Asian—all delighting in Cape Town autumn weather.

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