Review

The agro-climatic regions of KwaZulu-Natal recorded well-above-average rainfall during the first four months (January to April) of 2025. The total rainfall during this period exceeded the annual long-term mean for some areas. The excellent rainfall supported good growth for the rainfed crop over the review period, despite low rainfall at the onset of the winter season (May and June) 2025. Rainfall for the irrigated Mpumalanga region was well below normal, except in January (Figure 1).

Despite the low summer rainfall in Mpumalanga, the major irrigation water sources remain stable; therefore, no serious irrigation restrictions are anticipated.

Figure 1: Regional average monthly total rainfall for January to June 2025, compared to the corresponding long-term means (LTM).

Outlook

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) remains in a neutral state and is expected to last through to the 2025/26 summer period. ENSO-neutral conditions are generally associated with normal rainfall patterns for the eastern parts of South Africa.

The South African Weather Services, the International Research Institute for Climate and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts all predict normal to above-normal  rainfall for most parts of the industry during spring (SON) 2025.

Please visit the SASRI WeatherWeb for the latest industry weather reports and links to up-to-date seasonal climate forecasts.