Harrismith in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Harrismith sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 43 mm of precipitation over about 7 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 17°C in early June to 21°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Harrismith's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Harrismith's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 4°C
- Precipitation
- 43 mm
- 7 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.3
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Harrismith in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 17°C in early June to 21°C by late August.
A typical winter day in Harrismith reaches about 18°C and drops to 4°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
How winter really feels in Harrismith
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 43 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Harrismith weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Harrismith gets around 43 mm of rain and snow over 7 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min in early June to 11 h 24 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Harrismith
None of Harrismith's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Harrismith's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Harrismith?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Harrismith for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Harrismith in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Harrismith sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 4°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.
UV index in Harrismith in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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.
| 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 Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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 |
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.
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.