Bethlehem climate — normals and trends
Bethlehem (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 14.0 °C and it receives 897 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 (7.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Bethlehem averages 25 frost days, 8 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 113 rainy days per year.
Bethlehem 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 38.5 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -9.5 °C (on 10 July 1996).
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
BethlehemFree State
- coords
- -28.23°, 28.31°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
14.0°C
Average daily high
21.3°C
Average daily low
8.3°C
Annual rainfall
897mm
Sunshine / day
10.7h
Mean relative humidity
65%
Average peak wind
19.1km/h
Seasonal range
11.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
25 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
8 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
113 d/yr
Annual snowfall
1.4 cm
Average feels-like high
19.7 °C
Average feels-like low
5.8 °C
Average peak gust
38.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
20.0 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
38.5 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-9.5 °C
10 July 1996
Wettest day
71 mm
19 November 1949
Windiest day
47.4 km/h
9 October 1947
Strongest gust
92.9 km/h
12 October 1995
Hottest feels-like
36.7 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-13.8 °C
10 July 1996
Snowiest day
9.8 cm
7 July 1996
Sunniest day
13.8 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 | 26.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 117 mm | -32 mm |
| Feb | 25.3 °C | +0.8 °C | 136 mm | +25 mm |
| Mar | 24.1 °C | +0.7 °C | 110 mm | +13 mm |
| Apr | 19.7 °C | -1.1 °C | 221 mm | +160 mm |
| May | 19.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 2 mm | -23 mm |
| Jun | 16.5 °C | +1.1 °C | 25 mm | +12 mm |
| Jul | 15.8 °C | +0.2 °C | 21 mm | +13 mm |
| Aug | 20.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 17 mm | -2 mm |
| Sep | 22.2 °C | +0.3 °C | 83 mm | +50 mm |
| Oct | 23.6 °C | +0.3 °C | 77 mm | -19 mm |
| Nov | 22.0 °C | -1.9 °C | 255 mm | +123 mm |
| Dec | 24.1 °C | -0.8 °C | 126 mm | -24 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 Bethlehem?
Bethlehem has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 14.0 °C and it receives 897 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Bethlehem?
The hottest day measured in Bethlehem between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 38.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Bethlehem?
The coldest day measured in Bethlehem between 1940 and 2025 was 10 July 1996, at -9.5 °C.
Does it snow in Bethlehem?
Yes. Bethlehem gets on average 1.4 cm of snow per year and has around 25 frost days.
Has the climate of Bethlehem warmed?
Yes: Bethlehem warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Bethlehem?
The wettest day measured in Bethlehem between 1940 and 2025 was 19 November 1949, with 71 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Bethlehem?
The windiest day measured in Bethlehem between 1940 and 2025 was 9 October 1947, with winds reaching 47.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Bethlehem?
The warmest month in Bethlehem is January (18.8 °C on average); the coldest is June (7.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Bethlehem?
Bethlehem receives on average 897 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 113 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Bethlehem?
Bethlehem gets on average 10.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,905 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Bethlehem?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Bethlehem between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1996, with 9.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Bethlehem?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Bethlehem.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Bethlehem?
In Bethlehem, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 36.7 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -13.8 °C on 10 July 1996.
Compare Bethlehem with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Bethlehem