Thaba Nchu in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Thaba Nchu sees average daytime highs around 29°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 277 mm of rain over about 38 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Thaba Nchu's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Thaba Nchu's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 29°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 277 mm
- 38 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Thaba Nchu in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 29°C.
A typical summer day in Thaba Nchu reaches about 29°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Thaba Nchu
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Thaba Nchu weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Thaba Nchu gets around 277 mm of rain over 38 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 12 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 13 h 42 min in early December to 12 h 42 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Thaba Nchu
In summer, Thaba Nchu overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Thaba Nchu's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is summer a good time to visit Thaba Nchu?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Thaba Nchu for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Thaba Nchu in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Thaba Nchu sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 38 days see rain.
UV index in Thaba Nchu in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
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 |
Air quality in Thaba Nchu in Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer falls, not just the annual 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 |
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.