Phuthaditjhaba weather in August

In August, Phuthaditjhaba sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 30 mm of precipitation across 4.2 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Phuthaditjhaba's 3rd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phuthaditjhaba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
30 mm
4.2 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:40 AM – 5:38 PM
Cloud cover
22%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Phuthaditjhaba is town.

Density
3,536/km²
people per km²
Founded
1974

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 19°C by the end.

A typical August day in Phuthaditjhaba reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 2°C warmer than July and about 3°C cooler than September.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1161
2161
3161
4162
5162
6162
7162
8172
9172
10172
11172
12172
13172
14172
15173
16173
17173
18173
19183
20183
21183
22183
23184
24184
25184
26184
27194
28194
29194
30195
31195

How August really feels in Phuthaditjhaba

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 18 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
18
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Phuthaditjhaba weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 13°17719013.65.6
Feb23° / 13°13415.30135.9
Mar22° / 11°10013.9012.26.3
Apr20° / 537.80.111.36.8
May18° / 253.50.110.67.1
Jun15° / 131.90.210.26.2
Jul15° / 111.90.510.46.2
Aug17° / 304.20.4117.0
Sep21° / 324.50.311.87.7
Oct22° / 10712.5012.76.5
Nov22° / 10°13514.4013.46.1
Dec23° / 12°16818.9013.85.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 77% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 12%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18911
28911
38911
48911
58911
68812
78812
88812
98812
108812
118812
128812
138812
148812
158911
168911
178911
188911
198911
208911
218911
228911
238812
248812
258812
268713
278713
288713
298713
308614
318614

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitationSnow

Phuthaditjhaba gets around 30 mm of rain and snow over 4.2 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 13% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1102
2112
3112
4112
5112
6112
7112
8122
9122
10122
11131
12131
13131
14131
15131
16141
17141
18141
19141
20151
21151
22151
23151
24151
25151
26151
27140
28140
29140
30140
31130

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 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 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 48 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:52 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 5:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.66:525:30
210.66:515:30
310.76:515:31
410.76:505:31
510.76:495:32
610.76:485:32
710.86:485:33
810.86:475:34
910.86:465:34
1010.86:455:35
1110.86:445:35
1210.96:435:36
1310.96:425:36
1410.96:425:37
1510.96:415:37
1611.06:405:38
1711.06:395:39
1811.06:385:39
1911.06:375:40
2011.16:365:40
2111.16:355:41
2211.16:345:41
2311.26:335:42
2411.26:315:42
2511.26:305:43
2611.26:295:43
2711.36:285:44
2811.36:275:44
2911.36:265:45
3011.36:255:45
3111.46:245:46

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.98 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.4Bright
34.4Bright
44.4Bright
54.5Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Phuthaditjhaba

In seasonPeak

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

Phuthaditjhaba'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 Phuthaditjhaba?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phuthaditjhaba in August

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

In August, Phuthaditjhaba sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 3°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Phuthaditjhaba 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 Phuthaditjhaba peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Phuthaditjhaba 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 Phuthaditjhaba is worst in August — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1227 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug27Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Phuthaditjhaba?

Phuthaditjhaba sits at 28.5°S, 28.8°E, 1,671 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Tshiame, 28 km away.

Topography around Phuthaditjhaba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phuthaditjhaba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m around an average of 1,700 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,364 m.

The land around Phuthaditjhaba is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and grassland (35%) within 3 km, grassland (78%) within 16 km, and grassland (72%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
495 m
16 km
1,047 m
80 km
2,364 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Tshiame 28 km · Harrismith 42 km · Bethlehem 60 km · Fouriesburg 60 km · Butha-Buthe 61 km · Hlotse 85 km · Reitz 89 km · Ladysmith 94 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 Phuthaditjhaba (-28.5242°, 28.8158°, elevation 1,671 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).