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3. Addo Elephant National Park
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4. The Addo weather

The Addo weather in the Addo Elephant National Park is moderate to hot and in summer (November to February) temperatures may reach well over 40 degrees Celsius.

The winters are mild, but it can become quite cold at night, with frost occurring at time.

The annual rainfall in the Park averages around 450 millimeters which is spread right across all four seasons, even though highs do happen in March-April and September-October.

ADDO SECTION

The area called the “Addo section” (main camp area), receives and average rainfall of less then 445mm per year and is accordingly classified as semi-arid to arid.

Rainfall is spread out evenly throughout the year,with peaks in February-March and October-November. Frost does occur at times in the winter.

Born just now, in the Addo Elephant National Park
The Addo Weather in South Africa's Addo Elephant Park
Photograph by Ray Booysen

Daily temperatures vary between 32 and 15 degrees Celsius in summer and between 18 and 5 degrees Celsius inwinter. The “Addo section” of the park does not have any natural water, except for a number of small pans which are mostly dry. Waterholes are supplied with water pumped up by boreholes from underground.

ZUURBERG SECTION

The height of the "Zuurberg section" of the Addo Elephant National Park varies from 250m to 970m above sea level. The average annual rainfall is approximately 722mm, with peaks in spring and autumn. The winter is the driest period of the year. Thunderstorms do occur in the summer months, often resulting in heavy downpours.

DARLINGTON SECTION

The "Darlington section" has the lowest rain fall in the Addo Park with an annual average of 255mm. Rainfall is mostly in the form of thundershowers with heavy downpours and an occasional cold front from the west.

COASTAL SECTION (WOODY CAPE)

The "Coastal section" called "Woody cape", is the wettest part of the Addo Elephant National Park, with and annual rainfall that varies between 392mm at Sundays river mouth to 700mm near Woody Cape.

The region between Boknes and Bushmans river mouth is the transition zone from all year rainfall to summer rainfall. The dunefield occurs in a rain shadow which receives lower rainfall than both Port Elizabeth and Alexandria. Fog and mist are common, with frost being rare.

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1. Home
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2. National parks in South Africa
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3. Addo Elephant National Park
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4. The Addo weather