Qacha’s Nek in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Qacha’s Nek sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 53 mm of precipitation over about 9 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early June to 18°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Qacha’s Nek's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Qacha’s Nek's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- -1°C
- Precipitation
- 53 mm
- 9 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Qacha’s Nek in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early June to 18°C by late August.
A typical winter day in Qacha’s Nek reaches about 15°C and drops to -1°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
How winter really feels in Qacha’s Nek
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 92 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Qacha’s Nek weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24° / 12° | 156 | 18.6 | 0 | 13.7 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 23° / 11° | 134 | 15.4 | 0 | 13.1 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 22° / 9° | 100 | 14.1 | 0.1 | 12.2 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 19° / 6° | 46 | 7.5 | 0.2 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| May | 17° / 2° | 20 | 4 | 0.5 | 10.5 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 15° / -2° | 14 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 10.1 | 5.7 |
| Jul | 14° / -2° | 14 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 10.3 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 16° / 0° | 25 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 10.9 | 6.5 |
| Sep | 20° / 5° | 30 | 5.7 | 0.6 | 11.8 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 21° / 7° | 85 | 12.8 | 0.5 | 12.7 | 6.4 |
| Nov | 22° / 9° | 111 | 15.3 | 0.5 | 13.5 | 5.9 |
| Dec | 23° / 11° | 143 | 18.4 | 0 | 13.9 | 5.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Qacha’s Nek gets around 53 mm of rain and snow over 9 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min in early June to 11 h 18 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Qacha’s Nek
None of Qacha’s Nek's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Qacha’s Nek's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Qacha’s Nek?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Qacha’s Nek for sightseeing.
What to pack for Qacha’s Nek in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Qacha’s Nek sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near -1°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.
UV index in Qacha’s Nek in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 12 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.