Seasons by city

The year in Durban

Durban is warm, green and humid, a subtropical city on the Indian Ocean where the coastal forest grows right into the suburbs.

Biome Indian Ocean coastal belt
Rain Summer rain
Altitude about 10 m
Rainfall about 1 000 mm a year
Province KwaZulu-Natal

Where the year begins

Rain falls in every month but most heavily in summer, when the air is hot and sticky. Winters are mild, sunny and dry, and frost is almost unknown.

The Indian Ocean coastal belt is a warm, humid strip of coastal forest, grassland and dunes along the east coast, green for most of the year.

What summer rain means here

Most of the year's rain falls between October and March, often in afternoon thunderstorms, and winter is the dry season.

Keep outdoor lessons to the morning in summer, when storms are least likely, and treat the first big storm of spring as an event to mark together. Winter is the long, dry season for walks, fires and gathering seed.

The turning points of 2027

Dates are in South African time. Sunrise, sunset and daylight are worked out for Durban's rounded location.

Solstices and equinoxes in 2027, with sunrise, sunset and daylight in Durban
Turning point	Sunrise	Sunset	Daylight
Autumn equinoxSaturday 20 March 2027	05:59	18:07	12 h 8 min
Midwinter, the shortest dayMonday 21 June 2027	06:51	17:04	10 h 13 min
Spring equinoxThursday 23 September 2027	05:44	17:52	12 h 8 min
Midsummer, the longest dayWednesday 22 December 2027	04:52	18:56	14 h 4 min

Summer: December, January, February

Hot and humid, with very high UV from mid-morning. Beach visits belong to the early morning; swim only between the lifeguards' flags, and watch for bluebottles washed up after onshore winds.

First signs to watch for

First litchis
Warm sea
Longest day
Mangoes ripe
Ghost crabs at dusk
Frangipani scent

Warm, sticky days, with heavy afternoon showers and a steamy smell afterwards

In the evening sky

On 22 December 2027, midsummer, the longest day, at about 20:11: the moon is waning crescent, 25 percent lit, not yet up, and the Southern Cross is below the horizon or too low to see. Planets: Saturn, high in the north-west; Venus, low in the west. For early risers: Jupiter before dawn in the north-east.

Also up: The Small Magellanic Cloud, high in the south; Grus, the Crane, halfway up in the south-west; The Large Magellanic Cloud, halfway up in the south.

On the nature table

Turquoise silk for the warm sea, with a strip of pale sand-coloured cotton for the beach, with a small piece of driftwood from an open beach, never a marine reserve; a shell from the family's own collection; fallen frangipani or other garden flowers; a mango stone, washed and dried.

Safety this season

On midsummer's day the sun is highest at 11:54, 84 degrees above the horizon, so a child's shadow almost disappears at noon; keep the hours around it for shade, hats, sunscreen and water.
Snakes are about in the warm months: stay on paths, look where you step, and leave any snake alone.
Ticks are in the long grass now: check arms, legs and hair afterwards.

Festivals

Midsummer Festival on Wednesday 22 December 2027; Christmas on Saturday 25 December 2027 (Christian).

Three things to do outside

Mud and Clay Kitchen

Building, 30 minutes

Digging, mixing and shaping mud and clay outside: pots, pies, bricks and snakes.

Water: an adult stays within arm's reach of every child near water, the whole time.
Keep only a small amount of water in the bucket and empty it at the end. Even shallow water needs an adult nearby.

Bees on the Flowers

Nature walk, 30 minutes

Watching bees from a respectful distance as they visit flowers in the garden or veld.

Know whether anyone in the family is allergic to bee stings before you go, and carry what they need.

Stones and Hollows

Game, 40 minutes

In the shade on a hot afternoon, two players scoop two rows of hollows in the sand and pass small stones around them in turn, counting and planning ahead. A simple family version of a sowing game.

If thunder starts, move onto the stoep or indoors, never under a lone tree.

Autumn: March, April, May

The heat eases and the humidity drops, and it is the most comfortable season for long walks in the forest patches and along the shore.

First signs to watch for

Swallows gathering at dusk
Turaco seen in flight
Swallows gone
First cool evening
First dry week
Cooler nights

The reed bed roosts empty as the swallows leave for the north

In the evening sky

On 20 March 2027, autumn equinox, at about 19:22: the moon is waxing gibbous, 96 percent lit, halfway up in the north-east, and the Southern Cross is halfway up in the south-east. Planets: Jupiter, halfway up in the north-east; Mars, halfway up in the north-east. For early risers: Mercury before dawn in the east; Venus before dawn in the east.

Also up: Canis Major and Sirius, almost overhead in the north-west; Carina and Canopus, high in the south; The Large Magellanic Cloud, high in the south.

On the nature table

Soft sea-green cotton with a fold of pale gold for the calmer, clearer days, with seed pods and fallen leaves from garden trees; a small piece of driftwood from an open beach; feathers found on a walk; dry grass or reed stems from your own garden.

Safety this season

At the autumn equinox the midday sun, at 12:03, still stands 60 degrees high and burns quickly, so hats stay on and the late afternoon becomes the pleasant time to be out.
Snakes are about in the warm months: stay on paths, look where you step, and leave any snake alone.
Ticks are in the long grass now: check arms, legs and hair afterwards.

Festivals

Autumn Harvest Festival on Saturday 20 March 2027; Easter on Sunday 28 March 2027 (Christian); Freedom Day Family Stories on Tuesday 27 April 2027.

Three things to do outside

Walking the Times Tables

Game, 15 minutes

A line of twelve stones or chalk marks to walk along, whispering the numbers in between and clapping on the numbers of the table, in twos, threes, fours and sixes.

Lay the stones flat on soft ground or a rug, with no gaps wider than an easy step.

Finding the Southern Cross

Sky watching, 30 minutes

On a clear autumn evening, finding the two bright Pointers and following them to the Southern Cross, then using the Cross to find south.

Go out soon after dark so that younger children are in bed at their usual time. By April and May the Cross is already well up in the south east early in the evening.

A Stick and Grass Hut

Building, 120 minutes

Over two or three autumn afternoons your child builds a small hut from long sticks and bundles of dry grass, layering the grass from the bottom up so that it sheds the rain.

Snakes rest in long grass, even as the weather cools. The adult cuts the grass, wearing boots and long trousers, and makes plenty of noise while working. Check everyone for ticks when you finish.

Winter: June, July, August

Dry, sunny and mild. In June and July the sardine run may bring shoals, dolphins and gannets close to the coast south of the city. Coral trees begin to flower red on bare branches late in the season.

First signs to watch for

Sardine run
First whale spout
Dune aloes flowering
Coral tree in flower
Gannets diving
First spring rain

Coral trees flowering bright red on bare branches

In the evening sky

On 21 June 2027, midwinter, the shortest day, at about 19:00: the moon is waning gibbous, 94 percent lit, not yet up, and the Southern Cross is high in the south. Planets: Mars, high in the north-west; Jupiter, halfway up in the north-west. For early risers: Saturn before dawn in the north-east.

Also up: Centaurus and the Pointers, almost overhead in the south; Scorpius, halfway up in the east; Carina and Canopus, halfway up in the south-west.

On the nature table

Deep blue silk for the sea, with a strip of yellow-orange cotton for the dune aloes on the shore, with a small piece of driftwood from an open beach; a shell from the family's own collection; fallen coral tree flowers from a garden tree; a small potted aloe.

Safety this season

On the shortest day the sun reaches only 37 degrees, at 11:57, and midday shadows are long, but it still burns; cold mornings mean water play waits for a warmer day.

Festivals

Midwinter Lantern Evening on Monday 21 June 2027; Women's Day on Monday 9 August 2027.

Three things to do outside

Midday Shadow Tag

Game, 20 minutes

A running game for a cold, bright winter day. Around midday, when the low winter sun still casts long shadows, the catcher tries to step on the other players' shadows.

The winter sun is low but can still burn at midday, especially at altitude. Wear hats, and put sunscreen on faces if you play for long.

Seedlings on the Windowsill

Garden, 30 minutes

In late winter, sowing tomato, sweet pepper and basil seeds in an egg box on a sunny windowsill and caring for them each morning until they are ready to plant out in spring.

Some bought seeds are coated and are not for eating. Put the packets away after sowing and wash hands afterwards.

Sweeping the Yard

Practical life, 30 minutes

In the cool of an autumn or winter morning your child sweeps fallen leaves with a small grass broom, carries them to the compost heap and looks at the patterns the broom leaves in the earth.

Sweep in shoes. Devil thorns and other small thorny burrs hide in dry leaves and bare earth, especially in the dry months.

Spring: September, October, November

Coral trees are in full scarlet flower before their leaves come, and sunbirds visit them. The rains return as the weather warms.

First signs to watch for

Swallows back
Weavers building
Hiccup-nut flowering
First summer thunderstorm
Frogs calling after rain
Flamboyant in flower

Swallows streaming into reed bed roosts at sunset

In the evening sky

On 23 September 2027, spring equinox, at about 19:07: the moon is last quarter, 47 percent lit, not yet up, and the Southern Cross is low in the south-west. Planets: Mars, halfway up in the west. For early risers: Saturn before dawn in the north-west.

Also up: Sagittarius and the Teapot, almost overhead in the west; Scorpius, high in the west; Pavo, the Peacock, high in the south.

On the nature table

Bright green cotton with a scrap of orange-red felt for the hiccup-nut flowers, with strips of grass and fallen twigs for weavers' nests; fallen flowers from a garden Natal plum; fallen leaves and seed pods; a feather found on a walk.

Safety this season

By the spring equinox the midday sun is back up at 60 degrees, at 11:48, and UV climbs quickly towards October, so bring the hats out before the heat arrives.
Bees are busy with the spring flowers: walk calmly past hives and flowering trees.

Festivals

Spring Festival of Blossoms on Thursday 23 September 2027; Heritage Day on Friday 24 September 2027; First Rains Festival on Monday 25 October 2027; Diwali on Monday 1 November 2027 (Hindu), a date that moves; check locally.

Three things to do outside

The Worm Heap

Garden, 40 minutes

Building and feeding a compost heap together, turning it now and then and finding the earthworms that turn kitchen peels into dark, crumbly soil.

Spiders and the odd scorpion like warm heaps. Wear gloves, and the adult lifts the top layer with the fork before small hands go in.

The Swallow Skipping Rhyme

Game, 30 minutes

When the swallows return in spring, two people turn a long rope while the others jump in to an original rhyme, counting their jumps in rhythm until they run out.

A rope is for jumping only. Nobody winds it around their neck or ties anyone up with it, and it goes back into its basket after the game.

Washing Line Day

Practical life, 40 minutes

On a breezy morning your child helps peg the washing on the line, watches it flap dry in the wind and then takes it in and folds it, matching socks into pairs.

A rotary washing line can swing round and pinch fingers. Little ones use the low string line, and nobody hangs or swings on the arms of a rotary line.

Places to walk

Durban Botanic Gardens

One of the oldest botanic gardens in Africa, with cycads, palms and a lake to walk around.

Pigeon Valley Park

A small patch of coastal forest in the middle of the city, known for its birds.

Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve

Mangroves at the mouth of the uMgeni River, with crabs and mudskippers in the tidal mud.

Where these facts come from

Biome, rainfall regime, solstices, equinoxes, sunrise, sunset, the midday sun and the evening sky are computed by Selemo's season engine for Durban at 29.85 degrees south, 31.00 degrees east, rounded to about 5 km, using Meeus's astronomical algorithms and the NOAA solar equations.
Biome names follow the national vegetation map of South Africa (Mucina and Rutherford); first signs, the nature table and festivals come from Selemo's seasons library, version 1; activities come from Selemo's activity library, chosen by the Outdoor Matcher for a typical clear morning in each season after the safety rules; altitude and rainfall are rounded long-term figures, being checked against South African Weather Service climate data.

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