Harrismith weather in August

In August, Harrismith sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 23 mm of precipitation across 3.9 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Harrismith's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
9th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
23 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:38 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
22%
3rd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Harrismith is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Founded
1849

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical August day in Harrismith reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 3°C cooler than September.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1184
2184
3184
4184
5184
6184
7184
8185
9185
10185
11195
12195
13195
14195
15195
16195
17195
18195
19196
20206
21206
22206
23206
24206
25206
26206
27217
28217
29217
30217
31217

How August really feels in Harrismith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August 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

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

Harrismith weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 14°17119.5013.65.5
Feb24° / 14°126150136.0
Mar23° / 13°9913.9012.26.5
Apr21° / 10°477.7011.37.2
May19° / 1830.110.67.8
Jun17° / 101.90.110.27.1
Jul17° / 111.50.510.47.2
Aug19° / 233.90.3117.7
Sep22° / 3250.311.88.0
Oct23° / 10°9012.3012.76.7
Nov24° / 12°12515.4013.46.1
Dec24° / 13°17318.8013.85.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 13%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
39010
49010
58911
68911
78911
88812
98812
108713
118713
128713
138713
148713
158713
168713
178713
188713
198713
208713
218713
228713
238713
248614
258614
268614
278614
288515
298515
308416
318416

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitationSnow

Harrismith gets around 23 mm of rain and snow over 3.9 wet days in August. 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 15% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
192
291
391
491
5101
6101
7101
8101
9111
10111
11111
12111
13121
14121
15121
16121
17121
18131
19131
20131
21141
22141
23141
24151
25151
26151
27150
28150
29150
30150
31150

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August 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 August

Winds average 13 km/h in August.

Across August, 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 August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:50 AM to 6:22 AM, and sunset from 5:29 PM to 5:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.66:505:29
210.76:505:29
310.76:495:30
410.76:485:30
510.76:485:31
610.76:475:32
710.86:465:32
810.86:455:33
910.86:445:33
1010.86:435:34
1110.96:435:34
1210.96:425:35
1310.96:415:35
1410.96:405:36
1511.06:395:37
1611.06:385:37
1711.06:375:38
1811.06:365:38
1911.16:355:39
2011.16:345:39
2111.16:335:40
2211.16:325:40
2311.26:315:41
2411.26:305:41
2511.26:295:42
2611.26:285:42
2711.36:275:43
2811.36:265:43
2911.36:245:44
3011.46:235:44
3111.46:225:45

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.74 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.4Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Harrismith

In seasonPeak

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

Harrismith'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 August a good time to visit Harrismith?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Harrismith for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Harrismith in August

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

In August, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Harrismith in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August 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 Harrismith peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 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 23UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug6High
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Harrismith in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Harrismith is worst in September — around 42 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.1× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateGoodSep 1340 µg/m³Jan 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr16Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul34Moderate
Aug35Moderate
Sep42Poor
Oct25Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Harrismith?

Harrismith sits at 28.3°S, 29.1°E, 1,643 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tshiame, 15 km away.

Topography around Harrismith

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Harrismith has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 1,663 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 802 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,391 m.

The land around Harrismith is covered by grassland (67%) within 3 km, grassland (73%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
802 m
80 km
2,391 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Tshiame 15 km · Phuthaditjhaba 42 km · Ladysmith 71 km · Bethlehem 81 km · Reitz 87 km · Vrede 94 km · Newcastle 97 km · Fouriesburg 98 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 Harrismith (-28.2728°, 29.1295°, elevation 1,643 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).