South Georgia has a cold climate, often windy and cloudy, with a few variations between different seasons. The coasts towards the north-east are less exposed to winds coming from Antarctica and have a slightly milder microclimate. On the island are on average maximum temperature of 0°C in August and 12°C in January, while the average minimum temperature in August is around -7°C, those in January 3°C. The average annual precipitation are 1500 mm, the snow can fall at any time of the year, during winter snow is frequent, with accumulations exceeding one meter a year.

The South Sandwich Islands are much more cold of South Georgia, being situated more to the south and subjected to Antarctic wind, they are also surrounded by ice pack between mid May and late November.