Criora

Climate risk in Pretoria

Gauteng, South Africa · 1.3M people in the urban area

What threatens Pretoria most

Water stress
Extremely High WRI Aqueduct
Drought
High WRI Aqueduct
Earthquake
Low GSHAP

Tsunamis and landslides are not rated for a single city here. Climate risk profile of South Africa

In an average year, fire burns 4% of the land around Pretoria.

Johannesburg: 2%.

4% © OpenStreetMap
0 25 % mean annual burned
See the land burned around Pretoria on the live map

Pretoria's climate in the 2050s

2041-2060 compared with 1991-2020, moderate emissions

By the 2050s, Pretoria's climate will still be more like its own today than any other large city's. The nearest other is León (Mexico).

Climate risk in León

+1.8°C

Mean temperature over the year

+2°C

Highest in the warmest month

+1.5°C

Lowest in the coldest month

-2%

Precipitation over the year

Under high emissions, Pretoria would stay nearest its own climate today.

Its own climate today is 3.5 σ away. How close the match is: 5.0 σ to the climate of León today, where under 2 is close and over 4 is no match (Mahony et al. 2017). 3 of 3 climate model runs name the same city. Seasonal temperature and rain are compared, not extremes, city heat or the sea.

Hazards at Pretoria

Read at the city's centre and compared with the Atlas's 630 large cities. Moderate emissions is the IPCC's scenario SSP2-4.5.

Hot days in 2025, over 35 °C 0 days
Tropical nights in 2025, over 20 °C 3 days Among large cities: above 18% In South Africa: 3 of 7
Hottest day of 2025 32.7°C Among large cities: above 20% In South Africa: 2 of 7
Warming by 2050, moderate emissions +1.8°C Among large cities: above 38% In South Africa: 1 of 7
Days with 20 mm of rain or more in 2025 15 days Among large cities: above 71% In South Africa: 4 of 7
River flood depth, 100-year event Dry at the city centre point
Coastal flood depth, 100-year event Dry at the city centre point
Water stress Extremely High (>80%) Among large cities: above 70% In South Africa: 1 of 7
Drought risk High Among large cities: above 50% In South Africa: 1 of 7
Earthquake shaking, once in 475 years 0.07 m/s² Among large cities: above 5% In South Africa: 7 of 7
Land burned in an average year 4% Among large cities: above 96% In South Africa: 3 of 7
Cyclone wind, once in 100 years 0 m/s

Flood depth is read in a single 1 km cell at the city's centre, in today's climate. Other parts of the city can still flood. The country page names the deepest point near a coastal city in 2080, so its figure can be higher. See how deep a river flood reaches around Pretoria on the live map

See the tropical nights around Pretoria on the live map

Large cities near Pretoria

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In a line

Source: Criora (criora.com), based on ECMWF, NEX-GDDP-CMIP6, WRI, IPCC, GSHAP, GFED500

APA

Criora. (2026). Pretoria, South Africa: climate risk profile [Data set]. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://criora.com/atlas/ZAF/pretoria

BibTeX

@misc{criora_atlas_ZAF_pretoria_2026,
  author = {{Criora}},
  title = {Pretoria, South Africa: climate risk profile},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://criora.com/atlas/ZAF/pretoria},
  urldate = {2026-11-02}
}

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