Aliwal North in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Aliwal North sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 294 mm of rain over about 34 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.

Summer is Aliwal North's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Aliwal North's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
29°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
15°C
Rainfall
294 mm
34 wet days
Avg wind
12 km/h
Travel score
5.4
weakest season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Aliwal North in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C.

A typical summer day in Aliwal North reaches about 29°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.

10°20°30°DecJanFeb

How summer really feels in Aliwal North

Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.

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

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

Aliwal North weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 15°10412.413.85.1
Feb29° / 15°9911.913.15.5
Mar27° / 13°9110.512.26.8
Apr23° / 607.511.37.5
May20° / 26410.57.6
Jun17° / 183.210.16.6
Jul17° / 142.510.26.9
Aug19° / 213.410.97.8
Sep23° / 223.311.88.4
Oct26° / 10°567.212.87.6
Nov28° / 12°738.313.66.9
Dec29° / 14°919.613.95.7

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Aliwal North gets around 294 mm of rain over 34 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 12 km/h across summer.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min in early December to 12 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.3 kWh/m².

02468DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Hazard calendar for Aliwal North

In seasonPeak

In summer, Aliwal North overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Aliwal North's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is summer a good time to visit Aliwal North?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Aliwal North for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Aliwal North in Summer

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

In summer, Aliwal North sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 15°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 34 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Aliwal North in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Aliwal North peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Aliwal North in Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Aliwal North is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (January, 5 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1515 µg/m³Jan 156 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan5Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr9Good
May11Good
Jun13Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug12Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Aliwal North?

Aliwal North sits at 30.7°S, 26.7°E, 1,325 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Burgersdorp, 50 km away.

Topography around Aliwal North

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Aliwal North has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 m around an average of 1,329 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 549 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,497 m.

The land around Aliwal North is covered by grassland (57%) within 3 km, grassland (81%) within 16 km, and grassland (91%) within 80 km.

3 km
112 m
16 km
549 m
80 km
1,497 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Summer weather nearby: Burgersdorp 50 km · Zastron 56 km · Mohale's Hoek 95 km · Quthing 100 km · Mafeteng 109 km · Lady Frere 123 km · Khowa 130 km · Cala 131 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%Muslim 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 Aliwal North (-30.6937°, 26.7114°, elevation 1,325 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.