Bethal weather in March

In March, Bethal sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 90 mm of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Bethal's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bethal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
90 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:06 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
47%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Bethal is place in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Founded
1898

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.

A typical March day in Bethal reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22514
32514
42514
52514
62514
72514
82514
92514
102414
112414
122414
132413
142413
152413
162413
172413
182413
192413
202413
212413
222413
232413
242413
252413
262413
272413
282313
292312
302312
312312

How March really feels in Bethal

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March 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

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

Bethal weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 15°13216.213.56.0
Feb25° / 15°9412.412.96.4
Mar24° / 13°9010.812.27.1
Apr22° / 10°426.511.47.5
May20° / 152.710.78.1
Jun18° / 70.910.47.9
Jul18° / 60.810.57.9
Aug21° / 122.411.18.4
Sep24° / 10°233.811.88.5
Oct25° / 12°9112.212.66.9
Nov24° / 13°1121513.36.1
Dec25° / 14°14517.813.65.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26436
36535
46634
56634
66733
76733
86733
96832
106733
116733
126733
136634
146634
156634
166535
176535
186436
196436
206436
216337
226337
236436
246436
256535
266535
276535
286436
296436
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Bethal gets around 90 mm of rain over 10.8 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
338
437
537
636
736
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1736
1836
1936
2035
2135
2235
2334
2433
2533
2632
2731
2830
2929
3028
3127

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1434116
2453916
3473815
4493714
5513613
6523612
7543511
8553510
9563410
1057349
1158348
1259347
1358357
1459356
1559356
1659365
1759365
1860364
1960364
2060364
2161354
2261354
2363343
2463343
2564333
2665323
2767312
2868302
2970282
3072262
3175241

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:33 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:586:33
212.65:586:32
312.55:596:31
412.56:006:30
512.56:006:29
612.56:016:28
712.46:016:27
812.46:026:26
912.46:026:25
1012.46:036:24
1112.36:036:23
1212.36:046:22
1312.36:046:21
1412.26:056:20
1512.26:056:19
1612.26:066:18
1712.26:066:17
1812.16:076:15
1912.16:076:14
2012.16:086:13
2112.16:086:12
2212.06:096:11
2312.06:096:10
2412.06:106:09
2512.06:106:08
2611.96:116:07
2711.96:116:05
2811.96:126:04
2911.86:126:03
3011.86:136:02
3111.86:136:01

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Bethal

In seasonPeak

In March, Bethal sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Bethal'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 March a good time to visit Bethal?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Bethal for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Bethal in March

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

In March, Bethal sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bethal in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 Bethal peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bethal in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Bethal is worst in July — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1286 µg/m³Jan 1024 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr56Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun83Unhealthy
Jul87Unhealthy
Aug72Unhealthy
Sep55Poor
Oct35Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Bethal?

Bethal sits at 26.5°S, 29.5°E, 1,661 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Trichardt, 24 km away.

Topography around Bethal

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 78 m around an average of 1,655 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 186 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 540 m.

The land around Bethal is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (52%) and cropland (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
78 m
16 km
186 m
80 km
540 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Trichardt 24 km · Kriel 31 km · Secunda 31 km · Thubelihle 32 km · Kinross 38 km · eMbalenhle 41 km · Hendrina 42 km · Ermelo 52 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 Bethal (-26.4579°, 29.4655°, elevation 1,661 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).