Mafeteng climate — normals and trends
Mafeteng (Lesotho) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 14.3 °C and it receives 859 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 (20.3 °C on average) and the coldest is July (6.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Mafeteng averages 48 frost days, 22 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 106 rainy days per year.
Mafeteng has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.20 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.1 °C (on 5 January 2016) and the coldest -11.7 °C (on 1 July 1994).
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
MafetengMafeteng District
- coords
- -29.82°, 27.24°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
14.3°C
Average daily high
21.9°C
Average daily low
7.8°C
Annual rainfall
859mm
Sunshine / day
10.9h
Mean relative humidity
60%
Average peak wind
16.1km/h
Seasonal range
13.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
48 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
22 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
106 d/yr
Annual snowfall
1.5 cm
Average feels-like high
20.3 °C
Average feels-like low
5.5 °C
Average peak gust
35.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.4 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.7 °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
5 January 2016
Coldest day
-11.7 °C
1 July 1994
Wettest day
86 mm
22 December 1956
Windiest day
49.2 km/h
11 August 1957
Strongest gust
96.1 km/h
12 September 1996
Hottest feels-like
37.7 °C
5 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-16.5 °C
1 July 1994
Snowiest day
12.9 cm
2 August 2006
Sunniest day
13.9 h
9 December 1940
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 | 29.9 °C | +2.8 °C | 67 mm | -68 mm |
| Feb | 27.3 °C | +1.3 °C | 90 mm | -31 mm |
| Mar | 25.0 °C | +0.8 °C | 131 mm | +22 mm |
| Apr | 20.0 °C | -1.0 °C | 204 mm | +133 mm |
| May | 18.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 15 mm | -15 mm |
| Jun | 15.7 °C | +0.7 °C | 24 mm | +6 mm |
| Jul | 15.8 °C | +0.6 °C | 21 mm | +8 mm |
| Aug | 20.1 °C | +2.1 °C | 14 mm | -6 mm |
| Sep | 23.3 °C | +1.3 °C | 38 mm | +7 mm |
| Oct | 24.6 °C | +0.6 °C | 86 mm | +7 mm |
| Nov | 23.8 °C | -1.3 °C | 178 mm | +70 mm |
| Dec | 25.7 °C | -1.0 °C | 168 mm | +42 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 Mafeteng?
Mafeteng has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 14.3 °C and it receives 859 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Mafeteng?
The hottest day measured in Mafeteng between 1940 and 2025 was 5 January 2016, reaching 39.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Mafeteng?
The coldest day measured in Mafeteng between 1940 and 2025 was 1 July 1994, at -11.7 °C.
Does it snow in Mafeteng?
Yes. Mafeteng gets on average 1.5 cm of snow per year and has around 48 frost days.
Has the climate of Mafeteng warmed?
Yes: Mafeteng warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Mafeteng?
The wettest day measured in Mafeteng between 1940 and 2025 was 22 December 1956, with 86 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Mafeteng?
The windiest day measured in Mafeteng between 1940 and 2025 was 11 August 1957, with winds reaching 49.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Mafeteng?
The warmest month in Mafeteng is January (20.3 °C on average); the coldest is July (6.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Mafeteng?
Mafeteng receives on average 859 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 106 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Mafeteng?
Mafeteng 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 Mafeteng?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Mafeteng between 1940 and 2025 was 2 August 2006, with 12.9 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Mafeteng?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Mafeteng.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Mafeteng?
In Mafeteng, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 37.7 °C on 5 January 2016, and the lowest was -16.5 °C on 1 July 1994.
Compare Mafeteng with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Mafeteng