Climate and weather data

Climate and weather data are fundamental inputs for water resource research, hydrological modelling, agricultural planning, and environmental assessment. Rainfall, temperature, evaporation, and other meteorological variables directly influence streamflow, groundwater recharge, drought, and flood risk across South Africa's diverse climatic zones.

Near real-time measured weather data for South Africa is primarily available from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), both of which maintain networks of automatic weather stations across the country. Access to these datasets typically requires payment, though reduced or waived fees may apply for postgraduate research purposes.

For freely available historical data, the South African Atlas of Climatology and Agrohydrology (SAAACA) provides daily weather data at the quaternary catchment scale for the period 1950–1999 (Schulze, 2007), now accessible through the WRO data platform. A range of additional free global and regional datasets are listed below, including gridded products, satellite-derived estimates, and reanalysis data. Users are advised that the accuracy of free weather data products has not been formally established for all regions and should be applied with appropriate caution.