Phola weather in August

In August, Phola sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 9 mm of rain across 1.6 wet days and about 11.1 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Phola's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
9th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
9 mm
1.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 06 min
6:36 AM – 5:40 PM
Cloud cover
17%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.8
out of 10

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical August day in Phola reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 3°C warmer than July and about 4°C cooler than September.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1205
2205
3206
4206
5216
6216
7216
8216
9216
10216
11216
12216
13217
14217
15227
16227
17227
18227
19227
20228
21228
22228
23238
24238
25238
26238
27239
28239
29239
30249
31249

Phola weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°11615.113.46.0
Feb26° / 16°931212.96.3
Mar25° / 15°9111.312.26.9
Apr23° / 11°406.211.47.8
May21° / 152.410.78.4
Jun19° / 60.910.48.3
Jul19° / 50.810.58.3
Aug22° / 91.611.18.8
Sep25° / 11°19311.88.5
Oct26° / 13°731012.67.0
Nov26° / 14°9713.813.36.2
Dec26° / 16°12516.313.65.8

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 83% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 9%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1928
2928
3928
4928
5928
6928
7919
8919
9919
10919
11919
12919
13919
14919
15919
16919
17919
18919
199010
209010
219010
229010
239010
249010
259010
269010
279010
289010
299010
309010
318911

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Phola gets around 9 mm of rain over 1.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 5% and peaks near 6% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
15
25
35
45
55
65
75
85
95
105
115
125
135
145
155
165
175
185
195
205
215
225
235
245
255
265
275
285
296
306
316

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 11 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 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 36 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:47 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.86:475:33
210.86:465:33
310.86:465:34
410.86:455:34
510.86:445:35
610.96:445:35
710.96:435:36
810.96:425:36
910.96:415:37
1010.96:415:37
1111.06:405:38
1211.06:395:38
1311.06:385:39
1411.06:375:39
1511.16:365:40
1611.16:365:40
1711.16:355:41
1811.16:345:41
1911.16:335:42
2011.26:325:42
2111.26:315:43
2211.26:305:43
2311.26:295:44
2411.36:285:44
2511.36:275:44
2611.36:265:45
2711.36:255:45
2811.46:245:46
2911.46:235:46
3011.46:225:47
3111.46:215:47

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4.99 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Phola

In seasonPeak

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

Phola'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 Phola?

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

8.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phola in August

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

In August, Phola sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Phola in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Phola peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Phola 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 Phola is worst in July — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1286 µg/m³Jan 1024 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr56Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun83Unhealthy
Jul87Unhealthy
Aug72Unhealthy
Sep55Poor
Oct35Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Phola?

Phola sits at 26.0°S, 29.0°E, 1,503 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Emalahleni, 25 km away.

Topography around Phola

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phola has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 1,528 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 907 m.

The land around Phola is covered by grassland (48%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and cropland (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
223 m
80 km
907 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Emalahleni 25 km · Thubelihle 35 km · Kriel 36 km · Bronkhorstspruit 36 km · Delmas 39 km · Leslie 42 km · Lebohang 43 km · Kinross 46 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 Phola (-26.002°, 29.034°, elevation 1,503 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).