Harrismith weather in September

In September, Harrismith sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 32 mm of precipitation across 5 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of September to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Harrismith's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 22°; 7th warmest
Overnight low: 8°; 5th coldest
Precipitation: 32 mm; 5 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 48 min; 6:03 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover: 32%; 5th clearest
Wind: 13 km/h; 1st windiest
Solar energy: 5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score: 8.0; 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.

← August Harrismith year-round climate October →Best places to visit in September

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month.

A typical September day in Harrismith reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 3°C warmer than August and on par with October.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Avg high (°C)	21	21	21	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23	23
Avg low (°C)	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	7
2	21	7
3	21	7
4	22	8
5	22	8
6	22	8
7	22	8
8	22	8
9	22	8
10	22	8
11	22	8
12	22	8
13	22	8
14	22	8
15	22	9
16	23	9
17	23	9
18	23	9
19	23	9
20	23	9
21	23	9
22	23	9
23	23	9
24	23	9
25	23	9
26	23	9
27	23	9
28	23	9
29	23	9
30	23	9

How September really feels in Harrismith

Once humidity and wind are folded in, September 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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

September 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 September compares with the rest of the year at a glance. September is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	25° / 14°	171	19.5	0	13.6	5.5
Feb	24° / 14°	126	15	0	13	6.0
Mar	23° / 13°	99	13.9	0	12.2	6.5
Apr	21° / 10°	47	7.7	0	11.3	7.2
May	19° / 6°	18	3	0.1	10.6	7.8
Jun	17° / 3°	10	1.9	0.1	10.2	7.1
Jul	17° / 3°	11	1.5	0.5	10.4	7.2
Aug	19° / 5°	23	3.9	0.3	11	7.7
Sep	22° / 8°	32	5	0.3	11.8	8.0
Oct	23° / 10°	90	12.3	0	12.7	6.7
Nov	24° / 12°	125	15.4	0	13.4	6.1
Dec	24° / 13°	173	18.8	0	13.8	5.6

Cloud cover in September

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Clearer (%)	84	83	83	83	82	81	81	80	80	80	80	79	79	78	77	77	76	76	76	75	75	75	74	74	73	72	72	70	70	69
Cloudier (%)	16	17	17	17	18	19	19	20	20	20	20	21	21	22	23	23	24	24	24	25	25	25	26	26	27	28	28	30	30	31

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	84	16
2	83	17
3	83	17
4	83	17
5	82	18
6	81	19
7	81	19
8	80	20
9	80	20
10	80	20
11	80	20
12	79	21
13	79	21
14	78	22
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	76	24
18	76	24
19	76	24
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	75	25
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	73	27
26	72	28
27	72	28
28	70	30
29	70	30
30	69	31

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitationSnow

Harrismith gets around 32 mm of rain and snow over 5 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 18% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Rain chance (%)	15	15	15	15	14	14	14	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	16	16	16	17	17	18	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	25	26
Snow chance (%)	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	0
2	15	0
3	15	0
4	15	0
5	14	1
6	14	1
7	14	1
8	15	1
9	15	1
10	15	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	15	1
14	15	1
15	16	2
16	16	2
17	16	2
18	17	2
19	17	2
20	18	1
21	18	1
22	19	1
23	20	1
24	21	1
25	22	1
26	23	1
27	24	1
28	25	0
29	25	0
30	26	0

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

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

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100

Wind in September

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

Across September, 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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Wind speed (km/h)	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	13	light breeze
2	13	light breeze
3	13	light breeze
4	13	light breeze
5	13	light breeze
6	13	light breeze
7	13	light breeze
8	13	light breeze
9	13	light breeze
10	13	light breeze
11	13	light breeze
12	13	light breeze
13	13	light breeze
14	13	light breeze
15	13	light breeze
16	13	light breeze
17	13	light breeze
18	13	light breeze
19	13	light breeze
20	13	light breeze
21	13	light breeze
22	13	light breeze
23	13	light breeze
24	13	light breeze
25	13	light breeze
26	13	light breeze
27	13	light breeze
28	13	light breeze
29	13	light breeze
30	13	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of September to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 6:21 AM to 5:46 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 6:00 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Daylight (h)	11.4	11.4	11.5	11.5	11.5	11.5	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.7	11.8	11.8	11.8	11.9	11.9	11.9	11.9	12.0	12.0	12.0	12.1	12.1	12.1	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.2
Sunrise (AM)	6:21	6:20	6:19	6:17	6:16	6:15	6:14	6:13	6:11	6:10	6:09	6:08	6:06	6:05	6:04	6:03	6:02	6:00	5:59	5:58	5:57	5:55	5:54	5:53	5:52	5:50	5:49	5:48	5:47	5:46
Sunset (PM)	5:45	5:46	5:46	5:47	5:47	5:48	5:48	5:49	5:49	5:50	5:50	5:51	5:51	5:52	5:52	5:53	5:53	5:54	5:54	5:55	5:55	5:56	5:56	5:57	5:57	5:58	5:58	5:59	5:59	6:00

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.4	6:21	5:45
2	11.4	6:20	5:46
3	11.5	6:19	5:46
4	11.5	6:17	5:47
5	11.5	6:16	5:47
6	11.5	6:15	5:48
7	11.6	6:14	5:48
8	11.6	6:13	5:49
9	11.6	6:11	5:49
10	11.7	6:10	5:50
11	11.7	6:09	5:50
12	11.7	6:08	5:51
13	11.7	6:06	5:51
14	11.8	6:05	5:52
15	11.8	6:04	5:52
16	11.8	6:03	5:53
17	11.9	6:02	5:53
18	11.9	6:00	5:54
19	11.9	5:59	5:54
20	11.9	5:58	5:55
21	12.0	5:57	5:55
22	12.0	5:55	5:56
23	12.0	5:54	5:56
24	12.1	5:53	5:57
25	12.1	5:52	5:57
26	12.1	5:50	5:58
27	12.2	5:49	5:58
28	12.2	5:48	5:59
29	12.2	5:47	5:59
30	12.2	5:46	6:00

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 5.68 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 — September's 5.68 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.9
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	5.3	Bright
2	5.3	Bright
3	5.3	Bright
4	5.4	Bright
5	5.4	Bright
6	5.4	Bright
7	5.5	Bright
8	5.5	Bright
9	5.5	Bright
10	5.5	Bright
11	5.6	Bright
12	5.6	Bright
13	5.6	Bright
14	5.7	Bright
15	5.7	Bright
16	5.7	Bright
17	5.7	Bright
18	5.7	Bright
19	5.8	Bright
20	5.8	Bright
21	5.8	Bright
22	5.8	Bright
23	5.8	Bright
24	5.8	Bright
25	5.9	Bright
26	5.9	Bright
27	5.9	Bright
28	5.9	Bright
29	5.9	Bright
30	5.9	Bright

Planning a trip in September

Hazard calendar for Harrismith

In seasonPeak

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

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

8.0

Sightseeing

1st-best month of the year

5.6

Beach & pool

1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Harrismith in September

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

In September, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Harrismith in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 8 (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.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	15	13	11	8	6	5	5	6	8	10	12	14
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	15	Extreme
Feb	13	Extreme
Mar	11	Extreme
Apr	8	Very high
May	6	High
Jun	5	Moderate
Jul	5	Moderate
Aug	6	High
Sep	8	Very high
Oct	10	Very high
Nov	12	Extreme
Dec	14	Extreme

Air quality in Harrismith in September

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	8	11	13	16	20	26	34	35	42	25	10	8
Level	Good	Good	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Poor	Moderate	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	8	Good
Feb	11	Good
Mar	13	Moderate
Apr	16	Moderate
May	20	Moderate
Jun	26	Moderate
Jul	34	Moderate
Aug	35	Moderate
Sep	42	Poor
Oct	25	Moderate
Nov	10	Good
Dec	8	Good

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

grassland 67%

16 km

802 m

grassland 73%

80 km

2,391 m

grassland 73%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater

← August Harrismith year-round climate October →Best places to visit in September

September 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

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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	7
2	21	7
3	21	7
4	22	8
5	22	8
6	22	8
7	22	8
8	22	8
9	22	8
10	22	8
11	22	8
12	22	8
13	22	8
14	22	8
15	22	9
16	23	9
17	23	9
18	23	9
19	23	9
20	23	9
21	23	9
22	23	9
23	23	9
24	23	9
25	23	9
26	23	9
27	23	9
28	23	9
29	23	9
30	23	9

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	84	16
2	83	17
3	83	17
4	83	17
5	82	18
6	81	19
7	81	19
8	80	20
9	80	20
10	80	20
11	80	20
12	79	21
13	79	21
14	78	22
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	76	24
18	76	24
19	76	24
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	75	25
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	73	27
26	72	28
27	72	28
28	70	30
29	70	30
30	69	31

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	0
2	15	0
3	15	0
4	15	0
5	14	1
6	14	1
7	14	1
8	15	1
9	15	1
10	15	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	15	1
14	15	1
15	16	2
16	16	2
17	16	2
18	17	2
19	17	2
20	18	1
21	18	1
22	19	1
23	20	1
24	21	1
25	22	1
26	23	1
27	24	1
28	25	0
29	25	0
30	26	0

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	7
2	21	7
3	21	7
4	22	8
5	22	8
6	22	8
7	22	8
8	22	8
9	22	8
10	22	8
11	22	8
12	22	8
13	22	8
14	22	8
15	22	9
16	23	9
17	23	9
18	23	9
19	23	9
20	23	9
21	23	9
22	23	9
23	23	9
24	23	9
25	23	9
26	23	9
27	23	9
28	23	9
29	23	9
30	23	9

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	84	16
2	83	17
3	83	17
4	83	17
5	82	18
6	81	19
7	81	19
8	80	20
9	80	20
10	80	20
11	80	20
12	79	21
13	79	21
14	78	22
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	76	24
18	76	24
19	76	24
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	75	25
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	73	27
26	72	28
27	72	28
28	70	30
29	70	30
30	69	31

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	0
2	15	0
3	15	0
4	15	0
5	14	1
6	14	1
7	14	1
8	15	1
9	15	1
10	15	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	15	1
14	15	1
15	16	2
16	16	2
17	16	2
18	17	2
19	17	2
20	18	1
21	18	1
22	19	1
23	20	1
24	21	1
25	22	1
26	23	1
27	24	1
28	25	0
29	25	0
30	26	0

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	21	7
2	21	7
3	21	7
4	22	8
5	22	8
6	22	8
7	22	8
8	22	8
9	22	8
10	22	8
11	22	8
12	22	8
13	22	8
14	22	8
15	22	9
16	23	9
17	23	9
18	23	9
19	23	9
20	23	9
21	23	9
22	23	9
23	23	9
24	23	9
25	23	9
26	23	9
27	23	9
28	23	9
29	23	9
30	23	9

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	84	16
2	83	17
3	83	17
4	83	17
5	82	18
6	81	19
7	81	19
8	80	20
9	80	20
10	80	20
11	80	20
12	79	21
13	79	21
14	78	22
15	77	23
16	77	23
17	76	24
18	76	24
19	76	24
20	75	25
21	75	25
22	75	25
23	74	26
24	74	26
25	73	27
26	72	28
27	72	28
28	70	30
29	70	30
30	69	31

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	15	0
2	15	0
3	15	0
4	15	0
5	14	1
6	14	1
7	14	1
8	15	1
9	15	1
10	15	1
11	15	1
12	15	1
13	15	1
14	15	1
15	16	2
16	16	2
17	16	2
18	17	2
19	17	2
20	18	1
21	18	1
22	19	1
23	20	1
24	21	1
25	22	1
26	23	1
27	24	1
28	25	0
29	25	0
30	26	0

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100