Bethlehem weather in October

In October, Bethlehem sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 87 mm of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 12.7 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 49% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Bethlehem's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bethlehem's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:31 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
43%
7th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical October day in Bethlehem reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1239
2239
3239
4249
5249
6249
7249
82410
92410
102410
112410
122410
132410
142410
152410
162410
172410
182410
192410
202410
212410
222411
232411
242411
252411
262411
272411
282411
292411
302411
312411

How October really feels in Bethlehem

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October 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 October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October 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
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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 34%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37327
47228
57129
67129
77030
86931
96832
106733
116733
126634
136634
146535
156436
166436
176436
186337
196337
206337
216337
226337
236337
246337
256337
266436
276436
286436
296634
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Bethlehem gets around 87 mm of rain over 9.7 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
221
322
422
523
624
724
825
926
1027
1127
1228
1329
1429
1530
1631
1732
1833
1933
2034
2135
2235
2336
2436
2536
2637
2737
2837
2937
3037
3137

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25964
26964
27964
28964
29955
30955
31955

Wind in October

Winds average 13 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 5:18 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 6:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:486:04
212.35:476:04
312.35:456:05
412.45:446:05
512.45:436:06
612.45:426:06
712.45:416:07
812.55:406:08
912.55:396:08
1012.55:376:09
1112.55:366:09
1212.65:356:10
1312.65:346:11
1412.65:336:11
1512.75:326:12
1612.75:316:12
1712.75:306:13
1812.75:296:14
1912.85:286:14
2012.85:276:15
2112.85:266:16
2212.85:256:16
2312.95:256:17
2412.95:246:18
2512.95:236:18
2613.05:226:19
2713.05:216:20
2813.05:206:20
2913.05:206:21
3013.15:196:22
3113.15:186:23

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.6 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 — October's 6.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.3Intense
26.3Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Bethlehem

In seasonPeak

In October, 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 October a good time to visit Bethlehem?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Bethlehem for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Bethlehem in October

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

In October, Bethlehem sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Bethlehem in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 11 (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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October 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
October 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).