Butha-Buthe weather in August

In August, Butha-Buthe sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 27 mm of precipitation across 3.8 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Butha-Buthe's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butha-Buthe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
27 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:42 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
20%
3rd clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
4.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Butha-Buthe is city in Lesotho.

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical August day in Butha-Buthe reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 16°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 4°C cooler than September.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1150
2150
3160
4160
5160
6160
7160
8160
9160
10161
11161
12161
13161
14171
15171
16171
17171
18172
19172
20172
21172
22182
23182
24182
25183
26183
27183
28183
29193
30193
31193

How August really feels in Butha-Buthe

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 23 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
23
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Butha-Buthe weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 13°13918.1013.65.9
Feb24° / 12°10414.80136.2
Mar22° / 11°9613.7012.26.5
Apr20° / 628.60.111.36.8
May17° / 294.10.210.66.9
Jun15° / -1°162.50.510.25.7
Jul14° / -1°101.90.610.45.7
Aug17° / 273.80.4116.9
Sep20° / 284.70.211.87.7
Oct22° / 9410.9012.76.9
Nov23° / 10°12613.6013.46.4
Dec24° / 12°14017.2013.86.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 10%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
39010
49010
59010
69010
79010
8919
9919
10919
11919
129010
139010
149010
159010
169010
179010
189010
199010
208911
218911
228911
238911
248911
258911
268812
278812
288812
298812
308713
318812

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitationSnow

Butha-Buthe gets around 27 mm of rain and snow over 3.8 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 12% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1103
2103
3102
4112
5112
6112
7112
8112
9112
10122
11121
12121
13121
14121
15121
16121
17121
18121
19121
20121
21121
22121
23121
24121
25121
26121
27121
28131
29131
30131
31131

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in August

Winds average 8 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:55 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:31 PM to 5:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.66:555:31
210.66:545:32
310.76:535:33
410.76:535:33
510.76:525:34
610.76:515:34
710.76:505:35
810.86:495:35
910.86:495:36
1010.86:485:37
1110.86:475:37
1210.96:465:38
1310.96:455:38
1410.96:445:39
1510.96:435:39
1611.06:425:40
1711.06:415:41
1811.06:405:41
1911.06:395:42
2011.16:385:42
2111.16:375:43
2211.16:365:43
2311.16:355:44
2411.26:345:44
2511.26:335:45
2611.26:325:45
2711.36:315:46
2811.36:295:46
2911.36:285:47
3011.36:275:48
3111.46:265:48

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.72 kWh/m² to a high of 7.3 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4.85 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.6Bright
84.6Bright
94.6Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.4Bright
305.4Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Butha-Buthe

In seasonPeak

None of Butha-Buthe's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Butha-Buthe's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Butha-Buthe?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Butha-Buthe for sightseeing.

What to pack for Butha-Buthe in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Butha-Buthe sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 1°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Butha-Buthe in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Butha-Buthe peaks around January 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 16Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Butha-Buthe in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Butha-Buthe is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1227 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Butha-Buthe?

Butha-Buthe sits at 28.8°S, 28.2°E, 1,716 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Fouriesburg, 17 km away.

FouriesburgHlotseMaputsoeFicksburgPhuthaditjhabaTeyateyanengHlohlolwane

Topography around Butha-Buthe

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Butha-Buthe has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 305 m around an average of 1,719 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,072 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,144 m.

The land around Butha-Buthe is covered by grassland (39%) and cropland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (60%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
305 m
16 km
1,072 m
80 km
2,144 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
August weather nearby: Fouriesburg 17 km · Hlotse 23 km · Maputsoe 37 km · Ficksburg 38 km · Bethlehem 60 km · Phuthaditjhaba 61 km · Teyateyaneng 65 km · Hlohlolwane 68 km

Lesotho travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type M
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,089
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
31%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
38.2
per 100k, 2008
Road deaths
31.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 48%Roman Catholic 39%other Christian 9%none 2%

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 Butha-Buthe (-28.7666°, 28.2494°, elevation 1,716 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).