Polokwane in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), Polokwane sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 125 mm of rain over about 17 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 21°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 Polokwane's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Polokwane's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
24°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
13°C
Rainfall
125 mm
17 wet days
Avg wind
8 km/h
Travel score
7.9
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Polokwane in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 26°C in early March to 21°C by late May.

A typical fall day in Polokwane reaches about 24°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°20°30°MarAprMay

Polokwane 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
Jan27° / 17°11613.713.36.0
Feb27° / 17°8810.112.86.4
Mar26° / 16°749.512.27.0
Apr24° / 13°395.411.58.0
May23° / 10°112.510.98.7
Jun20° / 40.910.68.6
Jul20° / 30.710.78.5
Aug23° / 40.911.29.1
Sep26° / 12°132.711.98.5
Oct27° / 14°46812.67.2
Nov27° / 16°9813.513.26.0
Dec27° / 17°13115.913.45.7

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

Polokwane gets around 125 mm of rain over 17 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 8 km/h across fall.

051015MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min in early March to 10 h 36 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 5.1 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Polokwane

In seasonPeak

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

Polokwane's rainy season runs November–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 Polokwane?

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.

7.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is one of the better times to visit Polokwane for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Polokwane in Fall

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

In fall, Polokwane sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Polokwane 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 Polokwane peaks around January 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 14Jun 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Polokwane 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 Polokwane is worst in August — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1525 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr16Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Polokwane?

Polokwane sits at 23.9°S, 29.5°E, 1,315 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mankweng, 24 km away.

Topography around Polokwane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Polokwane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 1,293 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 393 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,561 m.

The land around Polokwane is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and shrubs (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (50%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
393 m
80 km
1,561 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Fall weather nearby: Mankweng 24 km · Lebowakgomo 46 km · Mokopane 57 km · Tzaneen 71 km · Duiwelskloof 72 km · Nkowakowa 83 km · Mookgophong 102 km · Louis Trichardt 105 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 Polokwane (-23.9045°, 29.4688°, elevation 1,315 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.