Bethal climate — normals and trends
Bethal (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 15.0 °C and it receives 828 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 (18.8 °C on average) and the coldest is June (8.8 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Bethal averages 9 frost days, 7 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 112 rainy days per year.
Bethal has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.20 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 12 to 6 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 35.0 °C (on 7 January 2016) and the coldest -6.8 °C (on 12 June 1956).
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
BethalMpumalanga
- coords
- -26.46°, 29.47°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
15.0°C
Average daily high
22.0°C
Average daily low
9.8°C
Annual rainfall
828mm
Sunshine / day
10.4h
Mean relative humidity
66%
Average peak wind
17.8km/h
Seasonal range
10.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
9 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
7 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
112 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.9 cm
Average feels-like high
20.8 °C
Average feels-like low
7.6 °C
Average peak gust
36.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.7 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.7 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.47 · 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
35.0 °C
7 January 2016
Coldest day
-6.8 °C
12 June 1956
Wettest day
101 mm
30 January 1984
Windiest day
49.2 km/h
23 September 1941
Strongest gust
90.4 km/h
30 August 2008
Hottest feels-like
35.8 °C
10 December 2024
Coldest feels-like
-11.3 °C
12 June 1956
Snowiest day
10.6 cm
10 September 1981
Sunniest day
13.7 h
27 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 | 25.6 °C | +1.1 °C | 192 mm | +56 mm |
| Feb | 24.8 °C | +0.5 °C | 200 mm | +95 mm |
| Mar | 23.6 °C | 0.0 °C | 118 mm | +34 mm |
| Apr | 20.3 °C | -1.3 °C | 116 mm | +65 mm |
| May | 19.9 °C | +0.4 °C | 11 mm | -6 mm |
| Jun | 17.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 3 mm | -5 mm |
| Jul | 17.9 °C | +0.6 °C | 4 mm | -1 mm |
| Aug | 22.7 °C | +2.5 °C | 11 mm | -1 mm |
| Sep | 24.8 °C | +1.1 °C | 54 mm | +24 mm |
| Oct | 24.3 °C | 0.0 °C | 64 mm | -28 mm |
| Nov | 21.8 °C | -2.1 °C | 233 mm | +98 mm |
| Dec | 23.7 °C | -0.7 °C | 154 mm | +2 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 Bethal?
Bethal has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 15.0 °C and it receives 828 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Bethal?
The hottest day measured in Bethal between 1940 and 2025 was 7 January 2016, reaching 35.0 °C.
What is the coldest day in Bethal?
The coldest day measured in Bethal between 1940 and 2025 was 12 June 1956, at -6.8 °C.
Does it snow in Bethal?
Almost never: Bethal sees virtually no snow, with about 9 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Bethal warmed?
Yes: Bethal warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Bethal?
The wettest day measured in Bethal between 1940 and 2025 was 30 January 1984, with 101 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Bethal?
The windiest day measured in Bethal between 1940 and 2025 was 23 September 1941, with winds reaching 49.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Bethal?
The warmest month in Bethal is January (18.8 °C on average); the coldest is June (8.8 °C).
How much does it rain in Bethal?
Bethal receives on average 828 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 112 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Bethal?
Bethal gets on average 10.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,796 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Bethal?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Bethal between 1940 and 2025 was 10 September 1981, with 10.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Bethal?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Bethal.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Bethal?
In Bethal, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 35.8 °C on 10 December 2024, and the lowest was -11.3 °C on 12 June 1956.
Compare Bethal with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Bethal