Phuthaditjhaba in Spring

In spring (September, October and November), Phuthaditjhaba sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 274 mm of rain over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 20°C in early September to 22°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

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

Avg daytime high
21°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
8°C
Rainfall
274 mm
31 wet days
Avg wind
11 km/h
Travel score
6.8
best season of the year
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Phuthaditjhaba in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 20°C in early September to 22°C by late November.

A typical spring day in Phuthaditjhaba reaches about 21°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.

10°20°30°SepOctNov

How spring really feels in Phuthaditjhaba

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

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

spring sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Phuthaditjhaba weather by month

How the three spring months (September, October and November) 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 Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Phuthaditjhaba gets around 274 mm of rain over 31 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%SepOctNov

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Spring

Winds average 11 km/h across spring.

051015SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min in early September to 13 h 42 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.4 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in spring

Hazard calendar for Phuthaditjhaba

In seasonPeak

In spring, 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 spring a good time to visit Phuthaditjhaba?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

spring is a reasonable time to visit Phuthaditjhaba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Phuthaditjhaba in Spring

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

In spring, Phuthaditjhaba sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a warm layer. About 31 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectionlight clothesa warm layer

UV index in Phuthaditjhaba in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 10 (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 Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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