Harrismith weather in March

In March, Harrismith sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 99 mm of rain across 13.9 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 Harrismith's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
13.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:07 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
49%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.47 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical March day in Harrismith reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12414
22414
32413
42413
52413
62413
72413
82413
92413
102413
112413
122313
132313
142313
152313
162313
172313
182312
192312
202312
212312
222312
232312
242312
252312
262312
272312
282312
292312
302212
312212

How March really feels in Harrismith

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.

Harrismith 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 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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 36%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26337
36436
46436
56436
66436
76436
86436
96337
106337
116337
126337
136337
146238
156238
166139
176139
186139
196139
206238
216238
226337
236535
246535
256634
266634
276733
286733
296733
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Harrismith gets around 99 mm of rain over 13.9 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 44% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
150
249
349
448
548
648
748
848
948
1048
1147
1247
1347
1447
1547
1647
1747
1846
1945
2044
2143
2242
2341
2440
2539
2638
2738
2837
2936
3035
3134

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 65% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
144497
246486
348466
449456
551445
652435
753425
856404
957394
1058384
1160373
1261363
1362353
1463343
1565332
1666322
1767312
1868302
1969292
2071281
2172271
2273261
2374251
2475241
2576231
2678211
2779201
2880191
2982171
3084160
3185150

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
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 5:58 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 6:36 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:586:36
212.65:586:35
312.65:596:34
412.66:006:33
512.56:006:32
612.56:016:31
712.56:026:29
812.46:026:28
912.46:036:27
1012.46:036:26
1112.46:046:25
1212.36:056:24
1312.36:056:23
1412.36:066:22
1512.26:066:21
1612.26:076:19
1712.26:076:18
1812.26:086:17
1912.16:096:16
2012.16:096:15
2112.16:106:14
2212.06:106:12
2312.06:116:11
2412.06:116:10
2511.96:126:09
2611.96:126:08
2711.96:136:06
2811.96:146:05
2911.86:146:04
3011.86:156:03
3111.86:156:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.47 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 — March's 5.47 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Harrismith

In seasonPeak

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

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 March a good time to visit Harrismith?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Harrismith for sightseeing.

What to pack for Harrismith in March

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

In March, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Harrismith in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March 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 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 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 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
March 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).