Harrismith weather in July

In July, Harrismith sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 11 mm of precipitation across 1.5 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 85% of the time in July, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 12 min at the start of July to 10 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, July is Harrismith's 1st-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
11 mm
1.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
6:58 AM – 5:20 PM
Cloud cover
15%
1st clearest
Wind
12 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
3.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
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 July

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical July day in Harrismith reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, July runs on par with June and about 2°C cooler than August.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1163
2163
3163
4163
5162
6162
7162
8162
9162
10162
11162
12163
13163
14173
15173
16173
17173
18173
19173
20173
21173
22173
23173
24173
25173
26174
27174
28174
29184
30184
31184

How July really feels in Harrismith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, July averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 23 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
23
wind chill below the day's low

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

Harrismith weather by month

How July compares with the rest of the year at a glance. July is the 12th-warmest and 11th-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 July

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 85% of the time in July, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of July, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
2919
3919
4919
5919
6919
7928
8928
9919
10919
11919
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17928
18928
19928
20928
21919
22919
23919
24928
25928
26928
27928
28919
29919
30919
319010

Chance of precipitation in July

Any precipitationSnow

Harrismith gets around 11 mm of rain and snow over 1.5 wet days in July. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 6% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
151
251
341
441
541
641
741
841
941
1041
1141
1241
1341
1441
1541
1652
1752
1852
1962
2062
2162
2272
2372
2472
2572
2672
2782
2882
2982
3082
3192

Humidity in July

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, July 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 July

Winds average 12 km/h in July.

Across July, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in July

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of July to 10 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over July. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 6:51 AM, and sunset from 5:14 PM to 5:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.27:005:14
210.27:005:14
310.27:005:14
410.27:005:15
510.27:005:15
610.37:005:15
710.37:005:16
810.37:005:16
910.37:005:17
1010.37:005:17
1110.36:595:18
1210.36:595:18
1310.36:595:19
1410.36:595:19
1510.46:585:20
1610.46:585:20
1710.46:585:21
1810.46:575:21
1910.46:575:22
2010.46:575:22
2110.46:565:23
2210.56:565:23
2310.56:555:24
2410.56:555:24
2510.56:545:25
2610.56:545:25
2710.56:535:26
2810.66:535:26
2910.66:525:27
3010.66:525:28
3110.66:515:28

Solar energy in July

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in July, about 3.95 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 — July's 3.95 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Moderate
194.0Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.1Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.2Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in July

Hazard calendar for Harrismith

In seasonPeak

None of Harrismith's seasonal hazards are active in July. 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 July a good time to visit Harrismith?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Harrismith in July

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

In July, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 3°C. Worth packing: a warm layer.

a warm layer

UV index in Harrismith in July

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in July peaks around 5 — 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 July

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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