Several parts of the world stay cold or experience full winter during the months most people associate with summer. The simplest explanation: when it’s June through August in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere is in the middle of winter. But even some Northern Hemisphere locations barely warm up during their own summer, with July highs that still hover near freezing. Whether you’re looking for a winter escape, planning a ski trip, or just curious about climate, here’s where to find genuinely cold weather between June and August.
The Southern Hemisphere’s Winter
The most straightforward answer is anywhere south of the equator. Earth’s axial tilt means June, July, and August are winter months for the entire Southern Hemisphere. That includes large portions of South America, southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The farther south you go, the colder and shorter the days become, mirroring what Northern Hemisphere residents experience in December and January.
This isn’t a subtle effect. Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, sees August highs of only 40 to 42°F (4 to 6°C), with lows dipping to around 32°F (0°C). Temperatures rarely climb above 48°F even on the warmest days. Patagonia as a whole gets genuine winter conditions: snow, ice, and biting wind across the steppe and mountains from June through August.
Patagonia and Southern South America
Patagonia spans the southern tip of both Argentina and Chile and is one of the coldest inhabited regions during Northern Hemisphere summer. Beyond Ushuaia, towns like El Calafate and Punta Arenas experience short daylight hours (sometimes under eight hours), frequent snowfall, and winds that make the cold feel even sharper. Glaciers in Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Park are surrounded by frozen landscapes, and many hiking trails close for the season.
Further north on the continent, altitude creates surprisingly cold conditions even in the tropics. The Bolivian Altiplano, a high plateau sitting above 11,000 feet (3,600 meters), gets bitterly cold at night during its dry winter season. In Uyuni, home to the famous salt flats, July days reach about 53°F (12°C) but nights plunge to 25°F (-4°C). The combination of thin air, clear skies, and no cloud cover to trap heat makes for dramatic temperature swings.
New Zealand’s Ski Season
New Zealand’s South Island has a well-developed ski industry that runs entirely during Northern Hemisphere summer. Major ski resorts near Queenstown and Wanaka open in mid-June and stay open into early October. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in Queenstown are scheduled from June 14 through late September and mid-October 2025, while Cardrona near Wanaka runs June 14 through October 5. Mt Hutt, near the town of Methven, opens even earlier on June 13.
Mountain temperatures in the Southern Alps regularly drop below freezing, and Queenstown itself sits at a cool average of around 35 to 45°F (2 to 7°C) in July. For travelers from North America or Europe looking to ski in July or August, New Zealand is one of the most accessible and infrastructure-rich options.
Southern Africa’s Cold Highlands
Most people don’t associate Africa with cold weather, but the high-altitude regions of South Africa, Lesotho, and parts of Ethiopia experience genuine winter. The Drakensberg mountains along the eastern escarpment of South Africa average just 32 to 39°F (0 to 4°C) in July, with minimum temperatures dropping as low as -13°C (9°F) at the summit. Snow falls on the peaks roughly eight times per year, with most events concentrated during the winter months.
Lesotho, a small country entirely surrounded by South Africa, sits above 4,500 feet at its lowest point and regularly sees snow in June and July. It even has a small ski resort, Afriski, which operates during the Southern Hemisphere winter. Johannesburg, while not extreme, gets chilly July mornings near freezing, something that surprises visitors expecting tropical heat across the continent.
Australia’s Cold Corners
Australia’s interior deserts can get surprisingly cold at night during winter, but the genuinely cold spots are in the southeast. The Tasmanian Central Highlands, above 900 meters (about 3,000 feet), can receive snow at any time of year, with the heaviest snowfalls concentrated in July and August. The Australian Alps, straddling New South Wales and Victoria on the mainland, support ski resorts like Perisher and Falls Creek that operate from June through September.
Temperatures in these highland areas hover around or below freezing for extended stretches. Even lower-elevation cities like Hobart, Tasmania, and Canberra experience crisp winter weather, with July morning lows regularly below 32°F (0°C).
Cold Coasts Along the Humboldt Current
One of the more surprising cold spots doesn’t rely on altitude or high latitude. The Pacific coast of South America, from central Chile up through Peru, is cooled year-round by the Humboldt Current. This massive ocean current pulls cold, deep water to the surface along the coast, driven by winds that push warmer surface water offshore. The upwelling replaces it with water from depth that can be 10 to 15°F colder than you’d expect for the latitude.
Lima, Peru, sits near the equator at 12°S latitude but averages only about 59°F (15°C) in July and August, with heavy fog and overcast skies that locals call “garúa.” Coastal cities in central Chile like Valparaíso feel noticeably cool during winter months despite being at the same latitude as Los Angeles. The current’s cooling effect is strong enough to suppress the warm, tropical climate these regions would otherwise have.
Places Cold During Their Own Summer
Some locations never really warm up, even at the peak of their own summer. Svalbard, Norway’s Arctic archipelago at 78°N latitude, averages just 37 to 45°F (3 to 7°C) in July. Nighttime lows in June still drop below freezing. Despite 24 hours of continuous daylight, the sun sits so low on the horizon that it generates minimal warmth, and surrounding sea ice keeps air temperatures suppressed.
Iceland’s interior highlands remain snow-covered well into July, with summer highs in Reykjavik averaging only about 55°F (13°C). The Faroe Islands, sitting between Iceland and Scotland, rarely break 50°F in their warmest month. For comparison, these July temperatures are colder than what most Northern Hemisphere cities experience in late autumn.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctica is the extreme case. Even during its “warm” season (December through February), coastal research stations average around 32°F (0°C), while the interior of the continent stays well below -20°F (-29°C) year-round. During June through August, Antarctica is in the depths of polar winter with no sunlight at all, making it the coldest place on Earth by a wide margin.
Practical Considerations for Travelers
If you’re planning a trip specifically to experience cold weather during Northern Hemisphere summer, the Southern Hemisphere offers the most options with the best infrastructure. New Zealand and Patagonia are the most popular destinations, with established tourism seasons, reliable transportation, and accommodation geared toward winter visitors. Ski resorts in New Zealand and the Australian Alps are fully operational from mid-June onward.
Keep in mind that winter in the Southern Hemisphere also means shorter days. Ushuaia gets only about seven hours of daylight in June, similar to what Stockholm experiences in December. Higher-latitude destinations like the Falkland Islands or South Georgia get even less. For Northern Hemisphere destinations that stay cold in summer, like Svalbard or Iceland, daylight is the opposite issue: 24-hour sun can disrupt sleep, so packing an eye mask is practical advice.
Altitude is another reliable way to find cold weather in summer regardless of hemisphere. Mountain towns above 10,000 feet in the Andes, Himalayas, or East African highlands can feel like winter even in July or August, with freezing nights and cool days. The Bolivian Altiplano, the Ethiopian Highlands, and high passes in Ladakh, India, all fit this pattern.