Qacha’s Nek weather in October

In October, Qacha’s Nek sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 85 mm of precipitation across 12.8 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Qacha’s Nek's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Qacha’s Nek's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Precipitation
85 mm
12.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:28 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
48%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Qacha’s Nek is mountain pass in Qacha's Nek District, Lesotho.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical October day in Qacha’s Nek reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1216
2216
3216
4216
5216
6216
7217
8217
9217
10217
11217
12217
13217
14217
15217
16217
17217
18217
19217
20217
21218
22218
23218
24218
25218
26228
27228
28228
29228
30228
31228

How October really feels in Qacha’s Nek

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Qacha’s Nek weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 12°15618.6013.75.8
Feb23° / 11°13415.4013.15.9
Mar22° / 10014.10.112.26.3
Apr19° / 467.50.211.36.8
May17° / 2040.510.56.8
Jun15° / -2°142.30.910.15.7
Jul14° / -2°142.21.110.35.5
Aug16° / 254.11.210.96.5
Sep20° / 305.70.611.87.4
Oct21° / 8512.80.512.76.4
Nov22° / 11115.30.513.55.9
Dec23° / 11°14318.4013.95.7

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26733
36733
46634
56535
66535
76436
86436
96436
106337
116337
126337
136337
146337
156337
166337
176337
186337
196238
206238
216238
226238
236238
246238
256238
266337
276337
286337
296238
306238
316238

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Qacha’s Nek gets around 85 mm of rain and snow over 12.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 40% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1292
2302
3312
4312
5322
6333
7333
8343
9352
10352
11362
12372
13382
14392
15392
16401
17411
18421
19431
20441
21451
22461
23471
24471
25470
26470
27470
28470
29470
30470
31471

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:46 AM to 5:14 AM, and sunset from 6:03 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:466:03
212.35:446:03
312.35:436:04
412.45:426:05
512.45:416:05
612.45:396:06
712.55:386:07
812.55:376:07
912.55:366:08
1012.65:356:09
1112.65:346:09
1212.65:326:10
1312.75:316:11
1412.75:306:11
1512.75:296:12
1612.75:286:13
1712.85:276:13
1812.85:266:14
1912.85:256:15
2012.95:246:15
2112.95:236:16
2212.95:226:17
2312.95:216:18
2413.05:206:18
2513.05:196:19
2613.05:186:20
2713.15:176:21
2813.15:166:21
2913.15:166:22
3013.15:156:23
3113.25:146:24

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.61 kWh/m² to a high of 7.14 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 6.36 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Qacha’s Nek

In seasonPeak

In October, Qacha’s Nek sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Qacha’s Nek'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 October a good time to visit Qacha’s Nek?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Qacha’s Nek for sightseeing.

What to pack for Qacha’s Nek in October

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

In October, Qacha’s Nek sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 7°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Qacha’s Nek in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Qacha’s Nek peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun4Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct12Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Qacha’s Nek?

Qacha’s Nek sits at 30.1°S, 28.7°E, 1,974 m above sea level, in Lesotho. The nearest listed city is Thaba-Tseka, 66 km away.

Thaba-TsekaTlokoengKokstadQuthingMohale's HoekTeyateyaneng

Topography around Qacha’s Nek

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Qacha’s Nek.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Qacha’s Nek has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 559 m around an average of 1,983 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,290 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,517 m.

The land around Qacha’s Nek is covered by grassland (72%) within 3 km, grassland (80%) within 16 km, and grassland (87%) within 80 km.

3 km
559 m
16 km
1,290 m
80 km
2,517 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
October weather nearby: Thaba-Tseka 66 km · Tlokoeng 67 km · Kokstad 85 km · Quthing 100 km · Mohale's Hoek 117 km · Clydesdale 122 km · Ugie 128 km · Teyateyaneng 141 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 Qacha’s Nek (-30.1154°, 28.6894°, elevation 1,974 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).