Bethlehem weather in March

In March, Bethlehem sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 89 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 Bethlehem's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bethlehem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:10 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
45%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.66 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Bethlehem is town in Dihlabeng Local Municipality, South Africa.

Founded
1859

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical March day in Bethlehem reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 12°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 3°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12514
22514
32514
42513
52513
62513
72513
82513
92513
102413
112413
122413
132413
142413
152413
162413
172413
182412
192412
202412
212412
222412
232312
242312
252312
262312
272312
282312
292311
302311
312311

How March really feels in Bethlehem

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.

Bethlehem weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°14316.413.65.9
Feb25° / 14°9713.3136.2
Mar24° / 13°8912.212.26.9
Apr22° / 537.611.37.3
May19° / 253.410.67.7
Jun16° / 132.110.26.9
Jul16° / 81.310.47.0
Aug19° / 213.3117.8
Sep23° / 233.711.88.3
Oct24° / 10°879.712.77.4
Nov25° / 12°11112.213.46.7
Dec26° / 13°14716.713.85.9

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27129
37228
47228
57228
67228
77228
87327
97228
107228
117129
127228
137129
147129
157030
167030
177030
187030
197030
207030
217030
227030
237030
247030
257030
267129
277129
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Bethlehem gets around 89 mm of rain over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
242
342
442
542
642
742
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1541
1642
1742
1841
1941
2040
2140
2239
2338
2437
2536
2635
2734
2833
2932
3032
3131

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 72% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
155405
256395
358375
459365
561354
662344
763334
865323
966313
1067303
1168293
1270282
1370282
1471272
1572262
1672262
1774251
1875241
1975241
2076231
2177221
2278211
2379201
2479201
2580191
2682180
2783170
2884160
2985150
3086140
3187130

Wind in March

Winds average 11 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
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
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 6:01 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:39 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:016:39
212.66:026:38
312.66:026:37
412.56:036:36
512.56:046:35
612.56:046:34
712.56:056:33
812.46:056:32
912.46:066:31
1012.46:076:29
1112.46:076:28
1212.36:086:27
1312.36:086:26
1412.36:096:25
1512.26:106:24
1612.26:106:23
1712.26:116:22
1812.26:116:20
1912.16:126:19
2012.16:126:18
2112.16:136:17
2212.06:146:16
2312.06:146:15
2412.06:156:13
2511.96:156:12
2611.96:166:11
2711.96:166:10
2811.96:176:09
2911.86:176:07
3011.86:186:06
3111.86:186:05

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.66 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.74 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.66 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Bethlehem

In seasonPeak

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

Bethlehem'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 Bethlehem?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Bethlehem for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bethlehem in March

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

In March, Bethlehem sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Bethlehem 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Bethlehem 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 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).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1227 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

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.

3 km
130 m
16 km
426 m
80 km
2,004 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Fouriesburg 44 km · Reitz 49 km · Phuthaditjhaba 60 km · Butha-Buthe 60 km · Mamafubedu 65 km · Tshiame 68 km · Senekal 68 km · Hlotse 76 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 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).