Windhoek, Khomas Region, Namibia

Frost dates for Windhoek

The full distribution rather than a single date. Every figure below is a percentile of 29 years of daily minimum temperatures at this location, expressed as the date it fell on.

Median last spring frost

16 August

Half of years are later than this. Not a planting date.

Median first autumn frost

12 June

The far end of the outdoor season.

Frost-free season

300 days

Between those two dates in a median year.

Last and first frost by severity

Read a row as: in this fraction of years, the last frost of spring had already happened by this date. The 90% column is the cautious planting date; the 10% column is the gamble.

Light frost — nights at or below 0°C (32°F). Air temperature reaches freezing. Kills basil, beans and unhardened tomatoes; hardy crops shrug it off.
Frost 1 year in 10 Median 9 years in 10 Earliest Latest
Last of spring 25 Jul 16 Aug 10 Sep 6 Jul 21 Sep
First of autumn 26 May 12 Jun 29 Jun 21 May 29 Jun
Frost-free days 339 300 258 4 of 29 years saw none at all
Moderate frost — nights at or below -2.2°C (28°F). Damages half-hardy plants and most blossom. This is the threshold that decides a fruit crop.
Frost 1 year in 10 Median 9 years in 10 Earliest Latest
Last of spring 8 Jul 14 Jul 31 Jul 7 Jul 2 Aug
First of autumn 5 Jun 11 Jun 23 Jun 3 Jun 27 Jun
Frost-free days 350 332 309 21 of 29 years saw none at all
Hard frost — nights at or below -4.4°C (24.1°F). Ground freezes and even hardy crops check their growth. Effectively the end of the outdoor year.
Frost 1 year in 10 Median 9 years in 10 Earliest Latest
Last of spring — — — — —
First of autumn — — — — —
Frost-free days — — — 29 of 29 years saw none at all

Dates in the southern hemisphere are computed on a growing year that starts in July, which is why "last of spring" falls where it should rather than in the middle of the calendar.

Chance of frost, week by week

Jul Sep Oct Dec Mar Apr Jun
Chance of at least one air frost during each week of the year, measured across the full record. The flat stretch in the middle is your frost-free season.

Temperature through the year

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F
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Mean monthly temperature across the record. Months shown in blue average at least one air frost.

Monthly means and average number of frost nights.
Month Mean low Mean high Frost nights
January 16.8°C 31.5°C 0
February 16.4°C 30.3°C 0
March 15.1°C 29°C 0
April 12.5°C 27°C 0
May 8.7°C 24.5°C 0.1
June 5.3°C 22°C 1.2
July 5°C 22°C 1.4
August 7.3°C 25.4°C 0.7
September 11°C 29.5°C 0.1
October 14.1°C 31.8°C 0
November 15.3°C 32.2°C 0
December 16.3°C 32.4°C 0

Turn these dates into a planting calendar →

Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Windhoek

February has the highest average precipitation (91 mm); July has the lowest (1 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 90 mm
Feb 91 mm
Mar 84 mm
Apr 57 mm
May 6 mm
Jun 2 mm
Jul 1 mm
Aug 1 mm
Sep 5 mm
Oct 21 mm
Nov 34 mm
Dec 53 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

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