Benfontein Weather Records (SF002905600)

Record envelope, standing records and threshold days for Benfontein (SF002905600), South Africa, with 81 years of record.

Key Facts for Benfontein

Benfontein (SF002905600) is a weather station in South Africa at -28.83 latitude and 24.83 longitude, 1,166 m (3,825 ft) above sea level.
The station reports from 1917 to 1997, 81 years of record.
0 records set at Benfontein still stand.
Records are tracked for prcp: an element needs 30 years of data to be eligible.
Benfontein set a daily record precipitation of 67.0 mm (2.6 in) on 31 December 1997.

About the Station

Location: South Africa, -28.83 latitude, 24.83 longitude.
Elevation: 1,166 m (3,825 ft).
Period of record: 1917 to 1997, 81 years.
Eligible elements: prcp.

Daily Record Envelope and 2026

0 days at or beyond a record

The band shows the record high and record low for each calendar day at Benfontein. The lines show the 2026 daily maximum and minimum. 0 days in 2026 matched or passed a record. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

Daily record high and record low at Benfontein, with 2026 drawn through them
Month	Highest record high	Lowest record low	2026 highest maximum	2026 lowest minimum
Jan	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Feb	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Mar	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Apr	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
May	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Jun	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Jul	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Aug	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Sep	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Oct	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Nov	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Dec	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Which Years Hold Standing Records

0 standing records

0 records at Benfontein still stand.

All-Time Record Progression

3 new records

3 all-time records were set at Benfontein between 27 November 1961 and 20 February 1988. Each dot is a new record.

When Benfontein set new all-time records
Date	Kind	Detail
1961-11-27	Record daily precipitation	Record daily precipitation 86.0 mm (3.4 in)
1976-02-03	Record daily precipitation	Record daily precipitation 90.0 mm (3.5 in)
1988-02-20	Record daily precipitation	Record daily precipitation 94.0 mm (3.7 in)

Wettest Day of Each Month

Feb: 94.0 mm (3.7 in)

The wettest day on record for each calendar month at Benfontein. The most was 94.0 mm (3.7 in) on 20 February 1988.

Record daily precipitation for each month at Benfontein
Month	Record daily precipitation (mm)	Date
Jan	64.5 mm (2.5 in)	19 January 1991
Feb	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	20 February 1988
Mar	68.6 mm (2.7 in)	6 March 1940
Apr	75.7 mm (3.0 in)	13 April 1947
May	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	29 May 1967
Jun	62.0 mm (2.4 in)	25 June 1957
Jul	43.2 mm (1.7 in)	31 July 1918
Aug	40.6 mm (1.6 in)	31 August 1943
Sep	62.2 mm (2.4 in)	1 September 1943
Oct	71.6 mm (2.8 in)	12 October 1942
Nov	86.0 mm (3.4 in)	27 November 1961
Dec	74.7 mm (2.9 in)	10 December 1949

Latest Records

Latest records at Benfontein
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
31 December 1997	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	67.0 mm (2.6 in)	44.1 mm (1.7 in)	62 years	64 of 100 (Major)
27 July 1997	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	6.5 mm (0.26 in)	6.5 mm (0.26 in)	79 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
11 June 1997	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	8.5 mm (0.33 in)	4.5 mm (0.18 in)	19 years	17 of 100 (Routine)
25 February 1997	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	17.5 mm (0.7 in)	5.5 mm (0.22 in)	9 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
17 January 1997	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	12.9 mm (0.5 in)	67 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
28 December 1996	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	11.7 mm (0.5 in)	8 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
8 November 1996	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	32.5 mm (1.3 in)	7.1 mm (0.28 in)	65 years	34 of 100 (Routine)
4 August 1996	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	10.5 mm (0.4 in)	5.0 mm (0.20 in)	23 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
25 July 1996	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	11.5 mm (0.5 in)	1.5 mm (0.06 in)	14 years	13 of 100 (Routine)
28 February 1996	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	8.8 mm (0.35 in)	64 years	33 of 100 (Routine)
5 December 1995	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	20 years	39 of 100 (Notable)
20 November 1995	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	27.0 mm (1.1 in)	8.5 mm (0.33 in)	37 years	27 of 100 (Routine)
29 March 1995	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	0.1 mm (0.00 in)	44 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
10 January 1995	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	41.5 mm (1.6 in)	21.7 mm (0.9 in)	75 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
9 January 1995	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	48.5 mm (1.9 in)	7.4 mm (0.29 in)	53 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
12 February 1994	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	31.0 mm (1.2 in)	3.5 mm (0.14 in)	16 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
16 October 1993	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	8.0 mm (0.31 in)	5.7 mm (0.22 in)	22 years	18 of 100 (Routine)
14 October 1993	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	18.0 mm (0.7 in)	1.8 mm (0.07 in)	2 years	8 of 100 (Routine)
6 October 1993	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	21.6 mm (0.9 in)	7.6 mm (0.30 in)	28 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
10 August 1993	Benfontein, ZA	daily rain	5.0 mm (0.20 in)	2.2 mm (0.09 in)	43 years	20 of 100 (Routine)

Extremes by Year

1917 to 1997

Yearly extremes at Benfontein: the record and the median year
Measure	Record	Year of the record	Median year	Years with a value
Wettest day (Rx1day)	94.0 mm (3.7 in)	1988	45.3 mm (1.8 in)	81
Wettest five days (Rx5day)	252.0 mm (9.9 in)	1988	67.1 mm (2.6 in)	81
Longest dry spell (CDD)	186 days	1994	83 days	81

Wettest day (Rx1day)

The wettest day of the year at Benfontein, 1917 to 1997. The record is 94.0 mm (3.7 in) in 1988, marked on the chart; the median year is 45.3 mm (1.8 in).

Wettest day (Rx1day) at Benfontein by year
Year	Wettest day (Rx1day)
1917	15.2 mm (0.6 in)
1918	44.5 mm (1.8 in)
1919	25.9 mm (1.0 in)
1920	61.0 mm (2.4 in)
1921	42.7 mm (1.7 in)
1922	17.3 mm (0.7 in)
1923	31.8 mm (1.3 in)
1924	61.0 mm (2.4 in)
1925	47.0 mm (1.9 in)
1926	44.5 mm (1.8 in)
1927	40.6 mm (1.6 in)
1928	57.2 mm (2.3 in)
1929	38.1 mm (1.5 in)
1930	41.1 mm (1.6 in)
1931	72.6 mm (2.9 in)
1932	47.2 mm (1.9 in)
1933	48.3 mm (1.9 in)
1934	36.8 mm (1.4 in)
1935	31.8 mm (1.3 in)
1936	35.6 mm (1.4 in)
1937	30.5 mm (1.2 in)
1938	50.8 mm (2.0 in)
1939	51.1 mm (2.0 in)
1940	68.6 mm (2.7 in)
1941	47.0 mm (1.9 in)
1942	71.6 mm (2.8 in)
1943	62.2 mm (2.4 in)
1944	48.3 mm (1.9 in)
1945	33.3 mm (1.3 in)
1946	84.3 mm (3.3 in)
1947	75.7 mm (3.0 in)
1948	67.6 mm (2.7 in)
1949	74.7 mm (2.9 in)
1950	38.1 mm (1.5 in)
1951	25.9 mm (1.0 in)
1952	45.7 mm (1.8 in)
1953	41.0 mm (1.6 in)
1954	45.3 mm (1.8 in)
1955	74.0 mm (2.9 in)
1956	46.7 mm (1.8 in)
1957	62.0 mm (2.4 in)
1958	30.0 mm (1.2 in)
1959	31.0 mm (1.2 in)
1960	24.5 mm (1.0 in)
1961	86.0 mm (3.4 in)
1962	34.7 mm (1.4 in)
1963	40.3 mm (1.6 in)
1964	27.0 mm (1.1 in)
1965	19.0 mm (0.7 in)
1966	36.0 mm (1.4 in)
1967	54.0 mm (2.1 in)
1968	28.0 mm (1.1 in)
1969	47.0 mm (1.9 in)
1970	39.5 mm (1.6 in)
1971	36.0 mm (1.4 in)
1972	62.5 mm (2.5 in)
1973	35.0 mm (1.4 in)
1974	68.5 mm (2.7 in)
1975	54.5 mm (2.1 in)
1976	90.0 mm (3.5 in)
1977	50.0 mm (2.0 in)
1978	29.5 mm (1.2 in)
1979	34.0 mm (1.3 in)
1980	57.5 mm (2.3 in)
1981	33.5 mm (1.3 in)
1982	38.0 mm (1.5 in)
1983	28.5 mm (1.1 in)
1984	38.0 mm (1.5 in)
1985	24.5 mm (1.0 in)
1986	49.5 mm (1.9 in)
1987	39.0 mm (1.5 in)
1988	94.0 mm (3.7 in)
1989	46.5 mm (1.8 in)
1990	63.6 mm (2.5 in)
1991	64.5 mm (2.5 in)
1992	28.0 mm (1.1 in)
1993	62.0 mm (2.4 in)
1994	35.0 mm (1.4 in)
1995	71.0 mm (2.8 in)
1996	56.0 mm (2.2 in)
1997	67.0 mm (2.6 in)

Wettest five days (Rx5day)

The wettest five days of the year at Benfontein, 1917 to 1997. The record is 252.0 mm (9.9 in) in 1988, marked on the chart; the median year is 67.1 mm (2.6 in).

Wettest five days (Rx5day) at Benfontein by year
Year	Wettest five days (Rx5day)
1917	19.0 mm (0.7 in)
1918	55.9 mm (2.2 in)
1919	38.1 mm (1.5 in)
1920	84.3 mm (3.3 in)
1921	55.4 mm (2.2 in)
1922	30.9 mm (1.2 in)
1923	39.4 mm (1.6 in)
1924	93.2 mm (3.7 in)
1925	87.8 mm (3.5 in)
1926	50.3 mm (2.0 in)
1927	59.7 mm (2.4 in)
1928	71.2 mm (2.8 in)
1929	115.9 mm (4.6 in)
1930	49.0 mm (1.9 in)
1931	132.5 mm (5.2 in)
1932	50.5 mm (2.0 in)
1933	74.5 mm (2.9 in)
1934	50.3 mm (2.0 in)
1935	41.7 mm (1.6 in)
1936	46.5 mm (1.8 in)
1937	30.5 mm (1.2 in)
1938	57.6 mm (2.3 in)
1939	75.7 mm (3.0 in)
1940	75.0 mm (3.0 in)
1941	101.6 mm (4.0 in)
1942	112.1 mm (4.4 in)
1943	102.8 mm (4.0 in)
1944	51.1 mm (2.0 in)
1945	64.8 mm (2.6 in)
1946	100.1 mm (3.9 in)
1947	75.7 mm (3.0 in)
1948	94.8 mm (3.7 in)
1949	77.2 mm (3.0 in)
1950	111.0 mm (4.4 in)
1951	35.2 mm (1.4 in)
1952	68.6 mm (2.7 in)
1953	65.3 mm (2.6 in)
1954	48.3 mm (1.9 in)
1955	106.7 mm (4.2 in)
1956	98.3 mm (3.9 in)
1957	94.2 mm (3.7 in)
1958	78.0 mm (3.1 in)
1959	63.5 mm (2.5 in)
1960	38.0 mm (1.5 in)
1961	108.0 mm (4.3 in)
1962	55.0 mm (2.2 in)
1963	78.0 mm (3.1 in)
1964	33.0 mm (1.3 in)
1965	35.0 mm (1.4 in)
1966	87.0 mm (3.4 in)
1967	82.0 mm (3.2 in)
1968	58.5 mm (2.3 in)
1969	54.0 mm (2.1 in)
1970	54.5 mm (2.1 in)
1971	51.5 mm (2.0 in)
1972	93.5 mm (3.7 in)
1973	79.5 mm (3.1 in)
1974	108.5 mm (4.3 in)
1975	79.5 mm (3.1 in)
1976	126.0 mm (5.0 in)
1977	69.0 mm (2.7 in)
1978	44.5 mm (1.8 in)
1979	50.0 mm (2.0 in)
1980	94.2 mm (3.7 in)
1981	75.0 mm (3.0 in)
1982	56.2 mm (2.2 in)
1983	52.2 mm (2.1 in)
1984	54.9 mm (2.2 in)
1985	56.5 mm (2.2 in)
1986	66.5 mm (2.6 in)
1987	45.4 mm (1.8 in)
1988	252.0 mm (9.9 in)
1989	54.5 mm (2.1 in)
1990	93.2 mm (3.7 in)
1991	106.8 mm (4.2 in)
1992	46.0 mm (1.8 in)
1993	87.0 mm (3.4 in)
1994	86.0 mm (3.4 in)
1995	96.0 mm (3.8 in)
1996	59.0 mm (2.3 in)
1997	67.1 mm (2.6 in)

Longest dry spell (CDD)

The longest dry spell of the year at Benfontein, 1917 to 1997. The record is 186 days in 1994, marked on the chart; the median year is 83 days.

Longest dry spell (CDD) at Benfontein by year
Year	Longest dry spell (CDD)
1917	8 days
1918	36 days
1919	98 days
1920	86 days
1921	137 days
1922	65 days
1923	67 days
1924	120 days
1925	43 days
1926	121 days
1927	74 days
1928	119 days
1929	55 days
1930	72 days
1931	87 days
1932	128 days
1933	142 days
1934	77 days
1935	35 days
1936	109 days
1937	84 days
1938	51 days
1939	44 days
1940	62 days
1941	151 days
1942	112 days
1943	52 days
1944	95 days
1945	51 days
1946	131 days
1947	103 days
1948	175 days
1949	113 days
1950	85 days
1951	143 days
1952	53 days
1953	91 days
1954	141 days
1955	57 days
1956	115 days
1957	28 days
1958	156 days
1959	81 days
1960	53 days
1961	65 days
1962	91 days
1963	77 days
1964	93 days
1965	53 days
1966	123 days
1967	91 days
1968	102 days
1969	68 days
1970	41 days
1971	83 days
1972	62 days
1973	68 days
1974	69 days
1975	75 days
1976	67 days
1977	59 days
1978	75 days
1979	42 days
1980	112 days
1981	77 days
1982	41 days
1983	57 days
1984	117 days
1985	134 days
1986	86 days
1987	83 days
1988	67 days
1989	73 days
1990	84 days
1991	85 days
1992	103 days
1993	88 days
1994	186 days
1995	108 days
1996	95 days
1997	51 days

Each chart shows one value per year; the dot marks the record year. TXx is the hottest daily maximum, TNn the coldest daily minimum, Rx1day and Rx5day the largest one-day and five-day rain totals, and CDD the longest run of days with less than 1 mm of rain. A year with missing days can understate an extreme.

Rainfall Return Levels

73 years, 1918 to 1997

A day with at least 45.8 mm (1.8 in) of rain is expected about once in 2 years. A day with at least 101.8 mm (4.0 in) of rain is expected about once in 100 years.

Rainfall return levels at Benfontein: the daily rain expected about once in a given number of years
Expected about once in	A day with at least	Note
2 years	45.8 mm (1.8 in)
5 years	62.1 mm (2.4 in)
10 years	72.4 mm (2.9 in)
25 years	84.7 mm (3.3 in)
50 years	93.4 mm (3.7 in)
100 years	101.8 mm (4.0 in)	Longer than the 73 years of record

The levels come from a generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution fitted by L-moments to the wettest-day total of each year, 73 years of values from 1918 to 1997.

A return level is an estimate. It is least reliable for the long periods, 50 and 100 years, and for any period longer than the record behind the fit, where the fit has to reach past the largest day actually observed. It is not a forecast.

The largest wettest-day totals in the fit: 94.0 mm (3.7 in) in 1988; 90.0 mm (3.5 in) in 1976; 86.0 mm (3.4 in) in 1961.

Download the Data

Data for Benfontein standing records by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.
Data for Benfontein threshold days by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-13 (13 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2025-12-31. Last revised 31 December 2025 (2025-12-31).

Month	Highest record high	Lowest record low	2026 highest maximum	2026 lowest minimum
Jan	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Feb	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Mar	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Apr	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
May	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Jun	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Jul	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Aug	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Sep	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Oct	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Nov	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Dec	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Month	Highest record high	Lowest record low	2026 highest maximum	2026 lowest minimum
Jan	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Feb	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Mar	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Apr	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
May	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Jun	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Jul	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Aug	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Sep	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Oct	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Nov	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Dec	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a