Phuthaditjhaba in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), Phuthaditjhaba sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 178 mm of rain over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 23°C in early March to 16°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
20°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
7°C
Rainfall
178 mm
25 wet days
Avg wind
9 km/h
Travel score
6.7
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Phuthaditjhaba in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 23°C in early March to 16°C by late May.

A typical fall day in Phuthaditjhaba reaches about 20°C and drops to 7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°20°30°MarAprMay

How fall really feels in Phuthaditjhaba

Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 8 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
8
wind chill below the day's low

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

Phuthaditjhaba 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 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 Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Phuthaditjhaba gets around 178 mm of rain over 25 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%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 18 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 4.8 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Phuthaditjhaba

In seasonPeak

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

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 fall a good time to visit Phuthaditjhaba?

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.

6.7
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit Phuthaditjhaba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Phuthaditjhaba in Fall

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

In fall, Phuthaditjhaba sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Phuthaditjhaba 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 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 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 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
Fall 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.