Phola in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), Phola sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 146 mm of rain over about 20 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 26°C in early March to 20°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Phola's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Phola's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
23°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
11°C
Rainfall
146 mm
20 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
7.7
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Phola in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 26°C in early March to 20°C by late May.

A typical fall day in Phola reaches about 23°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°20°30°MarAprMay

Phola weather by month

How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 59% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Phola gets around 146 mm of rain over 20 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Fall

Winds average 9 km/h across fall.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min in early March to 10 h 30 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.9 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Phola

In seasonPeak

In fall, Phola overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 fall a good time to visit Phola?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

7.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phola in Fall

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

In fall, Phola sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.

light clothesa warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Phola in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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