Climate and average weather in Mahalapye

In Mahalapye, the summers are hot, fairly dry, and mostly clear and the winters are warm and clear.

Best: mid April to mid September

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Mahalapye typically varies from 8°C to 31°C, and is rarely below 4°C or above 37°C. October is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Mahalapye for warm-weather activities is from mid April to mid September.

Hottest
Oct
31°
Coldest
Jul
Wettest
Jan
101 mm
Driest
Aug
1 mm
Rain / yr
441 mm
62 wet days
Daylight
10.6–13.4 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
1,025 m
23.1°S
Clearest
Aug
14% cloud

Mahalapye is town of Botswana.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Mahalapye weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid April to mid September.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Mahalapye, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

The hot season lasts 6.2 months, from September 13 to March 21, with daily high temperatures above 29°C. The hottest month of the year in Mahalapye is October, with an average high of 31°C and low of 18°C.

The cool season lasts 1.9 months, from June 3 to July 30, with daily high temperatures below 23°C. The coldest month of the year in Mahalapye is July, with an average low of 8°C and high of 22°C.

Days typically run about 12°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 15°C) in August.

10°20°30°40°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan3020
Feb3020
Mar2919
Apr2715
May2511
Jun228
Jul228
Aug2511
Sep2915
Oct3118
Nov3119
Dec3020

Average hourly temperature in Mahalapye

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on October afternoons, near 31°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Mahalapye weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 20°10111.713.34.8
Feb30° / 20°768.712.85.1
Mar29° / 19°496.812.26.1
Apr27° / 15°223.711.57.8
May25° / 11°61.310.99.1
Jun22° / 70.910.69.1
Jul22° / 20.410.79.1
Aug25° / 11°10.311.29.2
Sep29° / 15°61.311.97.2
Oct31° / 18°234.712.55.5
Nov31° / 19°6310.113.14.6
Dec30° / 20°8712.513.44.6

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Mahalapye gets about 441 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 5.4 months, from around Oct 22 to Apr 4, peaking in December at about 40% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 29.

January is the wettest month by volume, with 101 mm over about 12 wet days; August is the driest, with 1 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetDec 18 · 40%Jul 29 · 0%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3812
Feb319
Mar237
Apr124
May51
Jun31
Jul10
Aug10
Sep51
Oct155
Nov3310
Dec3913

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Mahalapye collects about 441 mm of rain across 62 wet days — roughly 37 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 101 mm, while August is the driest at just 1 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 60% of the year’s total.

0255075100125JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec10176492267216236387
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan10112
Feb769
Mar497
Apr224
May61
Jun71
Jul20
Aug10
Sep61
Oct235
Nov6310
Dec8713

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Mahalapye, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around April 12 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around October 21. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 92% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 22 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around April 11. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 46% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 11 · 93%Dec 5 · 51%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan5941
Feb6139
Mar7030
Apr7921
May919
Jun919
Jul9010
Aug928
Sep8911
Oct8020
Nov6040
Dec5446

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 13 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around June 6, only 10 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 2 h 48 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan13.35:447:00
Feb12.86:036:51
Mar12.26:176:27
Apr11.56:295:57
May10.96:425:36
Jun10.66:555:31
Jul10.76:575:40
Aug11.26:415:53
Sep11.96:116:03
Oct12.55:416:14
Nov13.15:246:32
Dec13.45:276:51

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Mahalapye averages about 19 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 10 and 26 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 6.0 months, from around Apr 16 to Oct 15. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 25 sunny days (brilliant).

The greyest month is December, down near 10 sunny days — about 59% fewer than the July peak.

051015202530JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 2426 daysDec 810 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan12Mixed
Feb11Mixed
Mar16Bright
Apr19Bright
May25Brilliant
Jun25Brilliant
Jul26Brilliant
Aug26Brilliant
Sep24Brilliant
Oct19Bright
Nov12Mixed
Dec11Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Mahalapye, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 4.7 months, from around November 13 to April 5. The muggiest month is January, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 59% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around April 6 to November 12, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 99% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMay 25 · 100%Jan 25 · 37%muggyhumiddrycomfortablehumidcomfortablehumid
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
Jan14273425
Feb14323322
Mar27352811
Apr612991
May94510
Jun100100
Jul100000
Aug100000
Sep96400
Oct781830
Nov4532203
Dec18313615

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Across the year, average wind speed in Mahalapye is typically light breeze, near 12 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.

The windier part of the year lasts 5.6 months, from around Aug 9 to Jan 24. The windiest month is October, averaging about 15 km/h (light breeze).

The calmer part of the year runs from around Jan 25 to Aug 8, with May the calmest month at about 10 km/h.

05101520JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmerwindiercalmlight breezeOct 12 · 15 km/hMay 21 · 10 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan12light breeze
Feb12calm
Mar11calm
Apr11calm
May10calm
Jun10calm
Jul11calm
Aug13light breeze
Sep14light breeze
Oct15light breeze
Nov13light breeze
Dec12light breeze

Best time to visit Mahalapye

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Mahalapye throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around late April, Mahalapye is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Mahalapye for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid April to mid September, with a peak score in the first week of August.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationAug 4 · 9.5

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan4.7fair
Feb5.2fair
Mar6.1good
Apr7.8ideal
May9.0ideal
Jun9.1ideal
Jul9.1ideal
Aug9.2ideal
Sep7.2good
Oct5.5fair
Nov4.6fair
Dec4.6fair

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Mahalapye for hot-weather activities run from late February to early June and again from late July to late October, with a peak score in the second week of September.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationSep 10 · 9.1

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Mahalapye, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around October (highs near 31°C), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 22°C), pack light clothes and a warm layer.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In October, Mahalapye sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Mahalapye by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mahalapye peaks around January 11 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 6 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 11UV 14Jun 16UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Mahalapye

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 8.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan8.57
Feb8.56.5
Mar86
Apr74.5
May5.52
Jun50
Jul5.52
Aug6.54
Sep74.5
Oct85.5
Nov8.56.5
Dec97
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Mahalapye is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun1000
Jul1000
Aug1000
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Mahalapye banks about 4,199 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.

01,0002,0003,0004,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan474
Feb421
Mar429
Apr337
May251
Jun159
Jul151
Aug249
Sep361
Oct447
Nov451
Dec469

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Mahalapye receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 4.1 and 6.9 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.6 months, from around Aug 31 to Mar 18. The brightest month is October, averaging about 6.8 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 4.1 kWh/m² — roughly 39% less than the October peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseOct 226.9 kWhJun 264.1 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.6Intense
Feb6.2Intense
Mar5.8Bright
Apr5.1Bright
May4.6Bright
Jun4.1Bright
Jul4.3Bright
Aug5.2Bright
Sep6.2Intense
Oct6.8Intense
Nov6.7Intense
Dec6.6Intense

Where is Mahalapye?

Mahalapye sits at 23.1°S, 26.8°E, 1,025 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Palapye, 70 km away.

PalapyeSeroweMarapongLephalaleMochudiSelebi-PhikweThabazimbiVaalwater

Topography around Mahalapye

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Mahalapye.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mahalapye has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 1,019 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 308 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 577 m.

The land around Mahalapye is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and shrubs (39%) within 3 km, shrubs (70%) within 16 km, and shrubs (83%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
308 m
80 km
577 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Nearby: Palapye 70 km · Serowe 80 km · Marapong 103 km · Lephalale 114 km · Mochudi 161 km · Selebi-Phikwe 164 km · Thabazimbi 176 km · Vaalwater 187 km

Botswana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,778
2025
Happiness
3.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
63%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
11.4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
26.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 79%none 15%Badimo 4%other 1%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Mahalapye (-23.1041°, 26.8142°, elevation 1,025 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).