Fouriesburg weather in May

In May, Fouriesburg sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 29 mm of precipitation across 3.8 wet days and about 10.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 17°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Fouriesburg's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fouriesburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
29 mm
3.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 36 min
6:46 AM – 5:21 PM
Cloud cover
26%
4th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Fouriesburg is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1892

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 17°C by the end.

A typical May day in Fouriesburg reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1206
2196
3195
4195
5195
6195
7195
8195
9195
10194
11194
12194
13194
14194
15184
16184
17183
18183
19183
20183
21183
22183
23183
24182
25172
26172
27172
28172
29172
30172
31171

How May really feels in Fouriesburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 8 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
8
wind chill below the day's low

The story in May is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Fouriesburg weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°14817.513.65.9
Feb25° / 13°10913.9136.2
Mar23° / 12°10013.312.26.7
Apr21° / 618.411.37.0
May18° / 293.810.67.4
Jun16° / 152.210.26.4
Jul16° / -0°91.510.46.4
Aug18° / 243.5117.5
Sep22° / 254.211.88.0
Oct23° / 9810.712.77.1
Nov24° / 11°12913.313.46.6
Dec25° / 13°15717.813.85.9

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 71% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 16%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28119
38119
48218
58218
68317
78317
88317
98416
108416
118416
128416
138416
148416
158416
168416
178317
188317
198317
208317
218317
228317
238317
248416
258416
268416
278515
288515
298614
308713
318713

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Fouriesburg gets around 29 mm of rain and snow over 3.8 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 12% and peaks near 20% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
120
219
318
418
517
617
716
816
915
1015
1114
1214
1313
1413
1512
1612
1711
1811
1911
2010
2110
229
239
249
258
268
277
287
297
307
316

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min at the start of May to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 36 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 6:37 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 5:32 PM to 5:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:375:32
210.96:375:31
310.96:385:30
410.86:395:29
510.86:395:29
610.86:405:28
710.86:405:27
810.86:415:26
910.76:425:25
1010.76:425:25
1110.76:435:24
1210.76:445:23
1310.66:445:23
1410.66:455:22
1510.66:455:21
1610.66:465:21
1710.66:475:20
1810.56:475:20
1910.56:485:19
2010.56:485:19
2110.56:495:18
2210.56:505:18
2310.46:505:17
2410.46:515:17
2510.46:515:16
2610.46:525:16
2710.46:535:16
2810.46:535:15
2910.46:545:15
3010.36:545:15
3110.36:555:14

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 4.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.72 kWh/m² to a high of 7.18 kWh/m² in December across the year — May's 4.13 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.3Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Bright
244.0Moderate
254.0Moderate
264.0Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Fouriesburg

In seasonPeak

None of Fouriesburg's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Fouriesburg'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 May a good time to visit Fouriesburg?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

May is one of the better times to visit Fouriesburg for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Fouriesburg in May

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

In May, Fouriesburg sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Fouriesburg in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Fouriesburg peaks around January 14 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 16Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec15Extreme

Air quality in Fouriesburg in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Fouriesburg 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 Fouriesburg?

Fouriesburg sits at 28.6°S, 28.2°E, 1,796 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Butha-Buthe, 17 km away.

Topography around Fouriesburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fouriesburg has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 376 m around an average of 1,752 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 882 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,123 m.

The land around Fouriesburg is covered by grassland (68%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) and cropland (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) and cropland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
376 m
16 km
882 m
80 km
2,123 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Butha-Buthe 17 km · Hlotse 32 km · Maputsoe 42 km · Ficksburg 43 km · Bethlehem 44 km · Phuthaditjhaba 60 km · Senekal 67 km · Hlohlolwane 71 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 Fouriesburg (-28.6196°, 28.2097°, elevation 1,796 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).