Hlotse climate — normals and trends
Hlotse (Lesotho) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 13.5 °C and it receives 1,048 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is January (19.0 °C on average) and the coldest is July (6.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Hlotse averages 55 frost days, 7 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 120 rainy days per year.
Hlotse has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.18 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.1 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -9.5 °C (on 3 July 1992).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
HlotseLeribe
- coords
- -28.87°, 28.05°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
13.5°C
Average daily high
21.1°C
Average daily low
7.2°C
Annual rainfall
1,048mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
65%
Average peak wind
13.8km/h
Seasonal range
13.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
55 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
7 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
120 d/yr
Annual snowfall
1.1 cm
Average feels-like high
20.3 °C
Average feels-like low
5.0 °C
Average peak gust
31.7 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.40 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.1 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-9.5 °C
3 July 1992
Wettest day
90 mm
2 November 1942
Windiest day
43.3 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
83.5 km/h
26 July 2016
Hottest feels-like
37.4 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-14.2 °C
3 July 1992
Snowiest day
11.8 cm
2 August 2006
Sunniest day
13.8 h
20 December 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.9 °C | +1.5 °C | 108 mm | -52 mm |
| Feb | 25.9 °C | +1.2 °C | 132 mm | +4 mm |
| Mar | 24.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 130 mm | +12 mm |
| Apr | 19.7 °C | -0.8 °C | 293 mm | +214 mm |
| May | 19.2 °C | +1.4 °C | 10 mm | -25 mm |
| Jun | 15.8 °C | +0.9 °C | 34 mm | +17 mm |
| Jul | 15.6 °C | +0.6 °C | 20 mm | +8 mm |
| Aug | 20.0 °C | +2.2 °C | 19 mm | -6 mm |
| Sep | 22.0 °C | +0.4 °C | 93 mm | +52 mm |
| Oct | 23.4 °C | +0.3 °C | 106 mm | -7 mm |
| Nov | 22.4 °C | -1.4 °C | 201 mm | +46 mm |
| Dec | 24.5 °C | -0.4 °C | 150 mm | -16 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Hlotse?
Hlotse has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 13.5 °C and it receives 1,048 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Hlotse?
The hottest day measured in Hlotse between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 39.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Hlotse?
The coldest day measured in Hlotse between 1940 and 2025 was 3 July 1992, at -9.5 °C.
Does it snow in Hlotse?
Yes. Hlotse gets on average 1.1 cm of snow per year and has around 55 frost days.
Has the climate of Hlotse warmed?
Yes: Hlotse warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Hlotse?
The wettest day measured in Hlotse between 1940 and 2025 was 2 November 1942, with 90 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Hlotse?
The windiest day measured in Hlotse between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 43.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Hlotse?
The warmest month in Hlotse is January (19.0 °C on average); the coldest is July (6.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Hlotse?
Hlotse receives on average 1,048 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 120 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Hlotse?
Hlotse gets on average 10.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,979 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Hlotse?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Hlotse between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 2006, with 11.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Hlotse?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Hlotse.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Hlotse?
In Hlotse, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.4 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -14.2 °C on 3 July 1992.
Compare Hlotse with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Hlotse