Climate and average weather in Thaba Nchu
In Thaba Nchu, the summers are hot, showery, and mostly clear and the winters are mild and clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Thaba Nchu typically varies from 2°C to 29°C, and is rarely below -3°C or above 35°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while June is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Thaba Nchu for warm-weather activities is from late March to late October.
- Hottest
- Jan
- 29°
- Coldest
- Jun
- 2°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 102 mm
- Driest
- Jul
- 8 mm
- Rain / yr
- 617 mm
- 86 wet days
- Daylight
- 10.1–13.9 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 1,531 m
- 29.2°S
- Clearest
- Jul
- 16% cloud
Thaba Nchu is town in Free State, South Africa.
- Founded
- 1892
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Thaba Nchu weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late March to late October.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Thaba Nchu, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.8 months, from October 22 to March 15, with daily high temperatures above 27°C. The hottest month of the year in Thaba Nchu is January, with an average high of 29°C and low of 17°C.
The cool season lasts 2.6 months, from May 24 to August 11, with daily high temperatures below 19°C. The coldest month of the year in Thaba Nchu is June, with an average low of 2°C and high of 17°C.
Days typically run about 14°C warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 16°C) in August.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 29 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 |
| Avg low (°C) | 17 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 17 |
| Feb | 28 | 16 |
| Mar | 27 | 14 |
| Apr | 23 | 10 |
| May | 20 | 5 |
| Jun | 17 | 2 |
| Jul | 17 | 2 |
| Aug | 20 | 4 |
| Sep | 24 | 8 |
| Oct | 26 | 11 |
| Nov | 28 | 13 |
| Dec | 29 | 15 |
How hot and cold Thaba Nchu really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -2°C (around July 8), with roughly 66 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 29 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 |
| Air high (°C) | 29 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 3 | -1 | -2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| Air low (°C) | 17 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 29 | 16 | 17 |
| Feb | 28 | 28 | 16 | 16 |
| Mar | 26 | 27 | 14 | 14 |
| Apr | 23 | 23 | 9 | 10 |
| May | 20 | 20 | 3 | 5 |
| Jun | 17 | 17 | -1 | 2 |
| Jul | 17 | 17 | -2 | 2 |
| Aug | 20 | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| Sep | 24 | 24 | 6 | 8 |
| Oct | 26 | 26 | 11 | 11 |
| Nov | 28 | 28 | 13 | 13 |
| Dec | 29 | 29 | 15 | 15 |
Average hourly temperature in Thaba Nchu
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 29°C, and coldest before dawn in June, near 2°C.
Thaba Nchu weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29° / 17° | 102 | 13.5 | 13.7 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 28° / 16° | 87 | 12.9 | 13 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 27° / 14° | 82 | 11.3 | 12.2 | 6.7 |
| Apr | 23° / 10° | 52 | 7.7 | 11.3 | 7.6 |
| May | 20° / 5° | 21 | 3.4 | 10.6 | 7.9 |
| Jun | 17° / 2° | 13 | 2 | 10.2 | 7.3 |
| Jul | 17° / 2° | 8 | 1.7 | 10.3 | 7.4 |
| Aug | 20° / 4° | 18 | 2.6 | 11 | 8.2 |
| Sep | 24° / 8° | 16 | 2.8 | 11.8 | 8.6 |
| Oct | 26° / 11° | 53 | 7.7 | 12.7 | 7.4 |
| Nov | 28° / 13° | 77 | 9.2 | 13.5 | 6.7 |
| Dec | 29° / 15° | 88 | 11.6 | 13.8 | 5.5 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Thaba Nchu gets about 617 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 6.3 months, from around Oct 14 to Apr 23, peaking in February at about 48% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 6.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 102 mm over about 14 wet days; July is the driest, with 8 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 43 | 46 | 36 | 26 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 31 | 37 |
| Rain days | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 12 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 14 |
| Feb | 46 | 13 |
| Mar | 36 | 11 |
| Apr | 26 | 8 |
| May | 11 | 3 |
| Jun | 7 | 2 |
| Jul | 6 | 2 |
| Aug | 8 | 3 |
| Sep | 10 | 3 |
| Oct | 24 | 8 |
| Nov | 31 | 9 |
| Dec | 37 | 12 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Thaba Nchu collects about 617 mm of rain across 86 wet days — roughly 51 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 102 mm, while July is the driest at just 8 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 45% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 102 | 87 | 82 | 52 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 53 | 77 | 88 |
| Rain days | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 12 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 102 | 14 |
| Feb | 87 | 13 |
| Mar | 82 | 11 |
| Apr | 52 | 8 |
| May | 21 | 3 |
| Jun | 13 | 2 |
| Jul | 8 | 2 |
| Aug | 18 | 3 |
| Sep | 16 | 3 |
| Oct | 53 | 8 |
| Nov | 77 | 9 |
| Dec | 88 | 12 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Thaba Nchu, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around May 1 and lasts for 4.6 months, ending around September 18. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 91% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 19 and lasts for 7.4 months, ending around April 30. The cloudiest month is November, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 30% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 76 | 76 | 76 | 76 | 82 | 88 | 91 | 88 | 81 | 74 | 70 | 74 |
| Cloudier (%) | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 26 | 30 | 26 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76 | 24 |
| Feb | 76 | 24 |
| Mar | 76 | 24 |
| Apr | 76 | 24 |
| May | 82 | 18 |
| Jun | 88 | 12 |
| Jul | 91 | 9 |
| Aug | 88 | 12 |
| Sep | 81 | 19 |
| Oct | 74 | 26 |
| Nov | 70 | 30 |
| Dec | 74 | 26 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around December 14, brings about 13 h 54 min of light; the shortest, around June 15, only 10 h 06 min — a swing of roughly 3 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 13.7 | 13.0 | 12.2 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 13.5 | 13.8 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:32 | 5:56 | 6:16 | 6:34 | 6:53 | 7:09 | 7:09 | 6:48 | 6:12 | 5:36 | 5:13 | 5:13 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:12 | 6:59 | 6:29 | 5:52 | 5:25 | 5:17 | 5:27 | 5:45 | 6:02 | 6:19 | 6:43 | 7:05 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.7 | 5:32 | 7:12 |
| Feb | 13.0 | 5:56 | 6:59 |
| Mar | 12.2 | 6:16 | 6:29 |
| Apr | 11.3 | 6:34 | 5:52 |
| May | 10.6 | 6:53 | 5:25 |
| Jun | 10.2 | 7:09 | 5:17 |
| Jul | 10.3 | 7:09 | 5:27 |
| Aug | 11.0 | 6:48 | 5:45 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 6:12 | 6:02 |
| Oct | 12.7 | 5:36 | 6:19 |
| Nov | 13.5 | 5:13 | 6:43 |
| Dec | 13.8 | 5:13 | 7:05 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Thaba Nchu averages about 19 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 15 and 25 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 5.2 months, from around Apr 26 to Sep 30. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 25 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is December, down near 15 sunny days — about 39% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 16 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Bright |
| Feb | 14 | Bright |
| Mar | 17 | Bright |
| Apr | 17 | Bright |
| May | 22 | Bright |
| Jun | 24 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 25 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 24 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 20 | Bright |
| Oct | 17 | Bright |
| Nov | 16 | Bright |
| Dec | 15 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Thaba Nchu, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 12% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 55 | 48 | 69 | 94 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 89 | 75 |
| Comfortable (%) | 33 | 38 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 21 |
| Humid (%) | 12 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 33 | 12 |
| Feb | 48 | 38 | 15 |
| Mar | 69 | 27 | 4 |
| Apr | 94 | 6 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| Nov | 89 | 11 | 1 |
| Dec | 75 | 21 | 4 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Thaba Nchu is typically calm, near 11 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.6 months, from around Aug 7 to Jan 24. The windiest month is November, averaging about 13 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Jan 25 to Aug 6, with May the calmest month at about 10 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | calm |
| Feb | 10 | calm |
| Mar | 10 | calm |
| Apr | 10 | calm |
| May | 10 | calm |
| Jun | 10 | calm |
| Jul | 10 | calm |
| Aug | 12 | calm |
| Sep | 12 | light breeze |
| Oct | 13 | light breeze |
| Nov | 13 | light breeze |
| Dec | 13 | light breeze |
Hazard calendar for Thaba Nchu
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Thaba Nchu's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Thaba Nchu
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Thaba Nchu throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early April, Thaba Nchu is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Thaba Nchu for general outdoor tourist activities is from late March to late October, with a peak score in the second week of September.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.1 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 5.5 |
| Rating | fair | good | good | ideal | ideal | good | good | ideal | ideal | good | good | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.1 | fair |
| Feb | 5.6 | good |
| Mar | 6.7 | good |
| Apr | 7.5 | ideal |
| May | 7.9 | ideal |
| Jun | 7.3 | good |
| Jul | 7.4 | good |
| Aug | 8.2 | ideal |
| Sep | 8.6 | ideal |
| Oct | 7.4 | good |
| Nov | 6.7 | good |
| Dec | 5.5 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Thaba Nchu for hot-weather activities is from late August to mid April, with a peak score in the third week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Thaba Nchu, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 29°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around June (highs near 17°C), pack a warm layer.
In January, Thaba Nchu sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.
UV index (midday) in Thaba Nchu by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Thaba Nchu peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 7 | High |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Thaba Nchu
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5 | 4 | 4.5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 4 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8.5 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 3.5 |
| May | 5 | 0 |
| Jun | 4 | 0 |
| Jul | 4.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 6 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4 |
| Oct | 8 | 6 |
| Nov | 9 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 7 |
Air quality in Thaba Nchu by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Thaba Nchu is worst in August — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 7 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 23 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 6 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 15 | Moderate |
| Apr | 17 | Moderate |
| May | 23 | Moderate |
| Jun | 26 | Moderate |
| Jul | 28 | Moderate |
| Aug | 28 | Moderate |
| Sep | 24 | Moderate |
| Oct | 14 | Moderate |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 6 | Good |
Growing season
Thaba Nchu is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about August 24 to May 25 (275 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 73 | 68 | 86 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 30 | 31 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 95 | 6 |
| Jun | 73 | 30 |
| Jul | 68 | 31 |
| Aug | 86 | 23 |
| Sep | 99 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Thaba Nchu banks about 2,556 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 402 | 343 | 318 | 194 | 86 | 2 | 1 | 63 | 186 | 274 | 312 | 377 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 402 |
| Feb | 343 |
| Mar | 318 |
| Apr | 194 |
| May | 86 |
| Jun | 2 |
| Jul | 1 |
| Aug | 63 |
| Sep | 186 |
| Oct | 274 |
| Nov | 312 |
| Dec | 377 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Thaba Nchu receives about 5.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.6 and 7.7 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Sep 9 to Mar 16. The brightest month is December, averaging about 7.7 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 3.6 kWh/m² — roughly 53% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 7.4 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.7 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7.4 | Intense |
| Feb | 6.7 | Intense |
| Mar | 5.8 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.8 | Bright |
| May | 4.0 | Bright |
| Jun | 3.6 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4.8 | Bright |
| Sep | 6.0 | Intense |
| Oct | 6.9 | Intense |
| Nov | 7.5 | Intense |
| Dec | 7.7 | Intense |
Where is Thaba Nchu?
Thaba Nchu sits at 29.2°S, 26.8°E, 1,531 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Botshabelo, 13 km away.
Topography around Thaba Nchu
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Thaba Nchu.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Thaba Nchu has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 172 m around an average of 1,519 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 748 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 848 m.
The land around Thaba Nchu is covered by grassland (45%), artificial surfaces (30%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, grassland (70%) and cropland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (76%) and cropland (21%) within 80 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
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 Thaba Nchu (-29.2093°, 26.839°, elevation 1,531 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).