Climate averages 1991–2020
Phuthaditjhaba weather
in May.
A mild, fairly dry month: the 10th warmest and the 3rd driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a mild month in Phuthaditjhaba: daytime highs average 17.6°C and nights cool to about 4.3°C. By daytime temperature it is the 10th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 25 mm of rain on roughly 3 days, which makes May a fairly dry month (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 10 h 43 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Bethlehem, South Africa (60 km away). In May its highs average 18.2°C, 0.6°C warmer than Phuthaditjhaba, with 25 mm of rain.
Among the 95 cities listed in South Africa, Phuthaditjhaba ranks 95th of 95 for the warmest May highs and joint 73rd of 95 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 95 cities is 21.0°C; Phuthaditjhaba is 3.4°C cooler than that mean.
From May to June, average highs fall by 2.6°C to 15.1°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 25 mm to 13 mm.
The annual picture
May in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Phuthaditjhaba climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23.9°C13.7°C | 13.7°C | 177 | 19.0 | 13.714 h |
| February | 23.6°C13.6°C | 13.6°C | 135 | 15.3 | 13.113 h |
| March | 22.4°C11.8°C | 11.8°C | 100 | 13.8 | 12.312 h |
| April | 19.9°C8.5°C | 8.5°C | 53 | 7.8 | 11.411 h |
| May, selected | 17.6°C4.3°C | 4.3°C | 25 | 3.4 | 10.711 h |
| June | 15.1°C1.1°C | 1.1°C | 13 | 1.9 | 10.410 h |
| July | 15.1°C0.6°C | 0.6°C | 11 | 1.9 | 10.511 h |
| August | 17.9°C3.1°C | 3.1°C | 29 | 4.2 | 11.111 h |
| September | 21.6°C6.8°C | 6.8°C | 32 | 4.5 | 11.912 h |
| October | 22.5°C9.4°C | 9.4°C | 106 | 12.5 | 12.813 h |
| November | 23.1°C10.9°C | 10.9°C | 135 | 14.3 | 13.514 h |
| December | 23.9°C12.8°C | 12.8°C | 168 | 18.9 | 13.914 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
May in nearby cities
- Bethlehem, South Africa in MaySouth Africa · 60 kmHigh 18.2°C · Low 5.3°C · 25 mm rain
- Ladysmith in MaySouth Africa · 94 kmHigh 21.8°C · Low 7.6°C · 21 mm rain
- Newcastle, South Africa in MaySouth Africa · 139 kmHigh 20.7°C · Low 7.4°C · 17 mm rain
- Dundee, South Africa in MaySouth Africa · 144 kmHigh 20.9°C · Low 8.7°C · 18 mm rain
- Maseru in MayLesotho · 157 kmHigh 17.6°C · Low 3.5°C · 29 mm rain
- Standerton in MaySouth Africa · 182 kmHigh 19.5°C · Low 6.0°C · 15 mm rain
- Kroonstad in MaySouth Africa · 183 kmHigh 20.2°C · Low 6.4°C · 20 mm rain
- Pietermaritzburg in MaySouth Africa · 196 kmHigh 22.6°C · Low 10.1°C · 29 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Phuthaditjhaba) is explained once on the Phuthaditjhaba year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.