Climate and Average Weather in Lesotho

Lesotho is a country you can visit all year round. Winter is cooler, but is also the driest period. Summer is warmer, but is on the other hand the wettest period of the year. December is the warmest month in the capital Maseru and has an average maximum temperature of 28°C (82°F). Spring and fall are right in between: not really hot, rarely too cold and a rainfall pattern that is doable for many people. Because of its altitude, Lesotho remains cooler throughout the year than other areas at the same latitude.

The local summer (November to March) is considered by many to be the best time to travel to Lesotho. It is warm, the sun shines often and the rain amounts are acceptable. For those for whom temperature is slightly less important and the amount of rain has more influence, the months of April, September and October are a very good alternative. For a tour of Lesotho, we would probably choose these mid-season months rather than the middle of summer which is high season.

Lesotho has only a limited number of precipitation days per month during winter. Much precipitation falls in the form of rain, but especially in the higher regions it can snow. On the highest peaks it can even snow throughout the year, but there is no perpetual snow on the highest peaks.

Summer months are considerably wetter than the winter months, Much of the precipitation falls in the form of short showers, although occasionally an entire rainy day can be noted. The showers are often accompanied by thunderstorms: on as many as 70 to 90 percent of all rainy days there are also thunderstorms.