With temperatures dipping into single digits overnight and humidity levels varying across the province, the South African Weather Service (Saws) is forecasting a dry but overcast weekend for Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Both Pretoria and Johannesburg are set for a largely dry weekend, with partly cloudy skies dominating and no rainfall anticipated, according to Saws.

In Pretoria, Saws reports that Friday will bring a maximum of 21°C and a minimum of 10°C, with humidity at 70% and wind coming from the southwest at 9.3 km/h.

Johannesburg will be slightly cooler on Friday, with a high of only 19°C and a low of 7°C, and humidity recorded at 65% with winds from the ENE at the same speed.

“Rain amount: 0 mm,” Saws states for both cities, adding that the rain probability across the weekend sits at “0%.” Residents in both metros can therefore expect a dry but brisk weekend.

Clear skies give way to afternoon cloud

Saturday offers a mixed picture for Gauteng, with clearer conditions expected in the early hours before cloud builds through the morning.

For Johannesburg, Saws records humidity shifting between 50% at 2am and 75% by mid-morning, before easing to 55% by the evening.

The weather service describes Saturday’s conditions in Johannesburg as alternating between “Clear Skies” and “Partly Cloudy” throughout the day, with a maximum temperature of 17°C and a minimum of 9°C.

Winds will maintain a consistent NNE direction for most of the day at 9.3 km/h, shifting to NNW by 8pm.

Pretoria will fare slightly warmer on Saturday, with Saws forecasting a maximum of 20°C and a minimum of 9°C.

Humidity will range between 50% in the early hours and 80% through the morning and afternoon, before dropping again in the evening.

“Weather condition: Clear Skies” at 2am will give way to “Partly Cloudy” by mid-morning, clearing again in the afternoon before returning to “Partly Cloudy” by night.

The warmer of the two weekend days

Sunday is expected to be marginally warmer for both cities, making it the better of the two weekend days for outdoor activity.

Saws forecasts a maximum of 20°C for Pretoria on Sunday, with a minimum of 9°C, while Johannesburg will reach a high of 18°C with a low also sitting at 9°C.

In Pretoria, the weather service indicates that conditions at 8am will be “Mostly Clear,” with humidity at 65%, before shifting to “Clear Skies” by 8pm as humidity drops to 50%.

Winds will be light, coming from the southwest at near-calm speeds of 0.1 kt throughout the day, making it a relatively still and pleasant afternoon.

“Forecasted temperature: 12°C” at 8am will climb to 15°C by evening in Pretoria, Saws notes.

Johannesburg’s Sunday forecast similarly shows “Mostly Clear” conditions in the morning transitioning to “Clear Skies” by evening, with temperatures at 10°C in the morning rising to 13°C by night.

Warming trend on the horizon

Looking beyond the weekend, Saws data indicates a gradual warming trend developing through next week for both cities.

Pretoria is forecast to climb back to 22°C by Monday, reaching 23°C by both Tuesday and Wednesday, as winter’s grip temporarily eases.

Johannesburg will follow a similar trajectory, with Monday bringing a high of 19°C, climbing to 20°C on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Rain probability: 0%” remains the consistent forecast across all days in the extended outlook, suggesting dry conditions will persist well into next week.

Sunrise across both cities falls just before 7am, with Saws recording sunrise at 6:54am for Pretoria and 6:55am for Johannesburg on Sunday, while sunset is forecast for approximately 5:26pm across both metros.

Residents are advised to plan outdoor activities around the warmer afternoon hours, as overnight and early morning temperatures will continue to feel decidedly wintry.