Harrismith climate — normals and trends
Harrismith (South Africa) has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Cwb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 14.1 °C and it receives 988 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 (18.1 °C on average) and the coldest is June (8.1 °C). Rainfall peaks in January.
Harrismith averages 13 frost days, 4 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 128 rainy days per year.
Harrismith has warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.21 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 36.3 °C (on 6 January 2016) and the coldest -9.4 °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
HarrismithFree State
- coords
- -28.27°, 29.13°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
14.1°C
Average daily high
20.9°C
Average daily low
9.0°C
Annual rainfall
988mm
Sunshine / day
10.2h
Mean relative humidity
66%
Average peak wind
18.9km/h
Seasonal range
10.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
13 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
4 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
128 d/yr
Annual snowfall
7.1 cm
Average feels-like high
19.3 °C
Average feels-like low
6.7 °C
Average peak gust
41.2 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
19.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.8 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.53 · 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
36.3 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest day
-9.4 °C
12 June 1956
Wettest day
85 mm
31 January 1992
Windiest day
49.5 km/h
22 August 1955
Strongest gust
108.0 km/h
28 September 1941
Hottest feels-like
36.9 °C
6 January 2016
Coldest feels-like
-13.8 °C
12 June 1956
Snowiest day
37.9 cm
13 September 2001
Sunniest day
13.8 h
11 December 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
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Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.2 °C | +1.1 °C | 195 mm | +25 mm |
| Feb | 23.8 °C | +0.1 °C | 178 mm | +37 mm |
| Mar | 23.4 °C | +0.7 °C | 185 mm | +79 mm |
| Apr | 19.6 °C | -0.9 °C | 204 mm | +151 mm |
| May | 19.9 °C | +1.6 °C | 1 mm | -18 mm |
| Jun | 17.0 °C | +1.2 °C | 15 mm | +5 mm |
| Jul | 16.1 °C | +0.1 °C | 28 mm | +19 mm |
| Aug | 20.5 °C | +2.0 °C | 17 mm | -6 mm |
| Sep | 21.7 °C | 0.0 °C | 83 mm | +40 mm |
| Oct | 23.2 °C | +0.6 °C | 63 mm | -41 mm |
| Nov | 21.5 °C | -1.6 °C | 287 mm | +148 mm |
| Dec | 23.7 °C | -0.3 °C | 177 mm | +7 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 Harrismith?
Harrismith has a subtropical highland, dry winter climate (Köppen Cwb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 14.1 °C and it receives 988 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Harrismith?
The hottest day measured in Harrismith between 1940 and 2025 was 6 January 2016, reaching 36.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Harrismith?
The coldest day measured in Harrismith between 1940 and 2025 was 12 June 1956, at -9.4 °C.
Does it snow in Harrismith?
Yes. Harrismith gets on average 7.1 cm of snow per year and has around 13 frost days.
Has the climate of Harrismith warmed?
Yes: Harrismith warmed by +1.8 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Harrismith?
The wettest day measured in Harrismith between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 1992, with 85 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Harrismith?
The windiest day measured in Harrismith between 1940 and 2025 was 22 August 1955, with winds reaching 49.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Harrismith?
The warmest month in Harrismith is January (18.1 °C on average); the coldest is June (8.1 °C).
How much does it rain in Harrismith?
Harrismith receives on average 988 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 128 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Harrismith?
Harrismith gets on average 10.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,723 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Harrismith?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Harrismith between 1940 and 2025 was 13 September 2001, with 37.9 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Harrismith?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Harrismith.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Harrismith?
In Harrismith, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 36.9 °C on 6 January 2016, and the lowest was -13.8 °C on 12 June 1956.
Compare Harrismith with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Harrismith