Climate and average weather in Bethlehem
In Bethlehem, the summers are warm, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Bethlehem typically varies from 1°C to 26°C, and is rarely below -3°C or above 30°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Bethlehem for warm-weather activities are from early March to mid June and mid July to mid November.
- Hottest
- Jan
- 26°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 1°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 147 mm
- Driest
- Jul
- 8 mm
- Rain / yr
- 817 mm
- 102 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.2–13.8 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,630 m
- 28.2°S
- Clearest
- Jul
- 14% cloud
Bethlehem is town in Dihlabeng Local Municipality, South Africa.
- Founded
- 1859
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Bethlehem weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid July to mid November.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Bethlehem, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 5.8 months, from October 1 to March 24, with daily high temperatures above 23°C. The hottest month of the year in Bethlehem is January, with an average high of 26°C and low of 14°C.
The cool season lasts 2.3 months, from May 28 to August 5, with daily high temperatures below 18°C. The coldest month of the year in Bethlehem is July, with an average low of 1°C and high of 16°C.
Days typically run about 13°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 15°C) in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 26 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Avg low (°C) | 14 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 14 |
| Feb | 25 | 14 |
| Mar | 24 | 13 |
| Apr | 22 | 9 |
| May | 19 | 5 |
| Jun | 16 | 2 |
| Jul | 16 | 1 |
| Aug | 19 | 4 |
| Sep | 23 | 8 |
| Oct | 24 | 10 |
| Nov | 25 | 12 |
| Dec | 26 | 13 |
How hot and cold Bethlehem really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -3°C (around July 7), with roughly 73 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 26 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 |
| Air high (°C) | 26 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 14 | 14 | 13 | 8 | 2 | -2 | -2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 13 |
| Air low (°C) | 14 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 26 | 14 | 14 |
| Feb | 25 | 25 | 14 | 14 |
| Mar | 24 | 24 | 13 | 13 |
| Apr | 21 | 22 | 8 | 9 |
| May | 19 | 19 | 2 | 5 |
| Jun | 16 | 16 | -2 | 2 |
| Jul | 16 | 16 | -2 | 1 |
| Aug | 19 | 19 | 1 | 4 |
| Sep | 23 | 23 | 5 | 8 |
| Oct | 24 | 24 | 9 | 10 |
| Nov | 25 | 25 | 12 | 12 |
| Dec | 25 | 26 | 13 | 13 |
Average hourly temperature in Bethlehem
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 26°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 1°C.
Bethlehem weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 14° | 143 | 16.4 | 13.6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 25° / 14° | 97 | 13.3 | 13 | 6.2 |
| Mar | 24° / 13° | 89 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 22° / 9° | 53 | 7.6 | 11.3 | 7.3 |
| May | 19° / 5° | 25 | 3.4 | 10.6 | 7.7 |
| Jun | 16° / 2° | 13 | 2.1 | 10.2 | 6.9 |
| Jul | 16° / 1° | 8 | 1.3 | 10.4 | 7.0 |
| Aug | 19° / 4° | 21 | 3.3 | 11 | 7.8 |
| Sep | 23° / 8° | 23 | 3.7 | 11.8 | 8.3 |
| Oct | 24° / 10° | 87 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 25° / 12° | 111 | 12.2 | 13.4 | 6.7 |
| Dec | 26° / 13° | 147 | 16.7 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Bethlehem gets about 817 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.9 months, from around Oct 12 to Apr 8, peaking in December at about 55% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 8.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 147 mm over about 17 wet days; July is the driest, with 8 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 52 | 48 | 39 | 26 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 30 | 42 | 53 |
| Rain days | 16 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 17 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 16 |
| Feb | 48 | 13 |
| Mar | 39 | 12 |
| Apr | 26 | 8 |
| May | 11 | 3 |
| Jun | 7 | 2 |
| Jul | 5 | 1 |
| Aug | 10 | 3 |
| Sep | 14 | 4 |
| Oct | 30 | 10 |
| Nov | 42 | 12 |
| Dec | 53 | 17 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Bethlehem collects about 817 mm of rain across 102 wet days — roughly 68 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 147 mm, while July is the driest at just 8 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 49% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 143 | 97 | 89 | 53 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 23 | 87 | 111 | 147 |
| Rain days | 16 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 17 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 143 | 16 |
| Feb | 97 | 13 |
| Mar | 89 | 12 |
| Apr | 53 | 8 |
| May | 25 | 3 |
| Jun | 13 | 2 |
| Jul | 8 | 1 |
| Aug | 21 | 3 |
| Sep | 23 | 4 |
| Oct | 87 | 10 |
| Nov | 111 | 12 |
| Dec | 147 | 17 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Bethlehem, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 19 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around September 28. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 92% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 29 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around April 18. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 39% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 65 | 68 | 71 | 75 | 84 | 90 | 92 | 89 | 82 | 67 | 63 | 61 |
| Cloudier (%) | 35 | 32 | 29 | 25 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 33 | 37 | 39 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 35 |
| Feb | 68 | 32 |
| Mar | 71 | 29 |
| Apr | 75 | 25 |
| May | 84 | 16 |
| Jun | 90 | 10 |
| Jul | 92 | 8 |
| Aug | 89 | 11 |
| Sep | 82 | 18 |
| Oct | 67 | 33 |
| Nov | 63 | 37 |
| Dec | 61 | 39 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 13 h 48 min of light; the shortest, around June 11, only 10 h 12 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.6 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 13.4 | 13.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:28 | 5:51 | 6:10 | 6:27 | 6:45 | 7:00 | 7:01 | 6:41 | 6:06 | 5:31 | 5:09 | 5:09 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:04 | 6:51 | 6:23 | 5:47 | 5:21 | 5:14 | 5:23 | 5:40 | 5:56 | 6:12 | 6:35 | 6:56 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.6 | 5:28 | 7:04 |
| Feb | 13.0 | 5:51 | 6:51 |
| Mar | 12.2 | 6:10 | 6:23 |
| Apr | 11.3 | 6:27 | 5:47 |
| May | 10.6 | 6:45 | 5:21 |
| Jun | 10.2 | 7:00 | 5:14 |
| Jul | 10.4 | 7:01 | 5:23 |
| Aug | 11.0 | 6:41 | 5:40 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 6:06 | 5:56 |
| Oct | 12.7 | 5:31 | 6:12 |
| Nov | 13.4 | 5:09 | 6:35 |
| Dec | 13.8 | 5:09 | 6:56 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Bethlehem averages about 18 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 11 and 26 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.5 months, from around Apr 17 to Sep 30. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 26 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 11 sunny days — about 57% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 11 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 11 |
| Sky | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Mixed |
| Feb | 11 | Mixed |
| Mar | 15 | Bright |
| Apr | 17 | Bright |
| May | 22 | Bright |
| Jun | 25 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 26 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 24 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 20 | Bright |
| Oct | 15 | Mixed |
| Nov | 13 | Mixed |
| Dec | 11 | Mixed |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Bethlehem, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 9% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 40 | 41 | 72 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 85 | 61 |
| Comfortable (%) | 51 | 51 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 36 |
| Humid (%) | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 51 | 9 |
| Feb | 41 | 51 | 9 |
| Mar | 72 | 26 | 2 |
| Apr | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov | 85 | 14 | 1 |
| Dec | 61 | 36 | 3 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Bethlehem is typically calm, near 11 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.7 months, from around Aug 9 to Jan 27. The windiest month is October, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jan 28 to Aug 8, with May the calmest month at about 10 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | calm |
| Feb | 11 | calm |
| Mar | 11 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 10 | calm |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 11 | calm |
| Aug | 12 | calm |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 13 | light breeze |
| Nov | 13 | light breeze |
| Dec | 12 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Bethlehem
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Bethlehem's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Bethlehem
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Bethlehem throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early November, Bethlehem is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Bethlehem for general outdoor tourist activities run from early March to late June and again from early July to mid November, with a peak score in the second week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 5.9 |
| Rating | good | good | good | good | ideal | good | good | ideal | ideal | good | good | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.9 | good |
| Feb | 6.2 | good |
| Mar | 6.9 | good |
| Apr | 7.3 | good |
| May | 7.6 | ideal |
| Jun | 6.9 | good |
| Jul | 7.0 | good |
| Aug | 7.8 | ideal |
| Sep | 8.3 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.4 | good |
| Nov | 6.7 | good |
| Dec | 5.9 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Bethlehem for hot-weather activities is from early September to early April, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Bethlehem, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 26°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 16°C), pack a warm layer.
In January, Bethlehem sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Bethlehem by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bethlehem peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (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 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Bethlehem
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9.5 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 8 | 6 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| May | 5.5 | 1 |
| Jun | 4 | 0 |
| Jul | 4.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 6 | 3 |
| Sep | 7 | 4.5 |
| Oct | 8 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 7 |
Air quality in Bethlehem by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Bethlehem 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 15 | 9 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 12 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 18 | Moderate |
| Jun | 22 | Moderate |
| Jul | 27 | Moderate |
| Aug | 27 | Moderate |
| Sep | 26 | Moderate |
| Oct | 15 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
Growing season
Bethlehem is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about August 18 to May 26 (282 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 96 | 73 | 66 | 89 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 30 | 31 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 96 | 6 |
| Jun | 73 | 30 |
| Jul | 66 | 31 |
| Aug | 89 | 18 |
| Sep | 99 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Bethlehem banks about 1,996 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 309 | 272 | 255 | 158 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 151 | 215 | 243 | 290 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 309 |
| Feb | 272 |
| Mar | 255 |
| Apr | 158 |
| May | 59 |
| Jun | 0 |
| Jul | 0 |
| Aug | 44 |
| Sep | 151 |
| Oct | 215 |
| Nov | 243 |
| Dec | 290 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Bethlehem receives about 5.6 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.7 and 7.2 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Sep 5 to Mar 16. The brightest month is December, averaging about 7.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 3.8 kWh/m² — roughly 47% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.9 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.1 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.9 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.5 | Intense |
| Mar | 5.7 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.8 | Bright |
| May | 4.1 | Bright |
| Jun | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4.0 | Bright |
| Aug | 4.8 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.0 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.6 | Intense |
| Nov | 7.0 | Intense |
| Dec | 7.1 | Intense |
Where is Bethlehem?
Bethlehem sits at 28.2°S, 28.3°E, 1,630 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Fouriesburg, 44 km away.
Topography around Bethlehem
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bethlehem.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Bethlehem has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 1,662 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 426 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,004 m.
The land around Bethlehem is covered by grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 3 km, cropland (49%) and grassland (45%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and cropland (34%) within 80 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
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 Bethlehem (-28.2308°, 28.3071°, elevation 1,630 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).