Ladysmith, South Africa, experiences a climate where the wet season is warm and the dry season is comfortable, with mostly clear skies throughout the year. The following is a detailed look at the typical weather conditions in Ladysmith, providing valuable information for residents and tourists alike.
Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Ladysmith for warm-weather activities are from late February to mid-May and from mid-August to early October.
06 November 2025 | Vox Weather Forecast
Temperature
Here's what you need to know about the temperature patterns in Ladysmith:
- Warm Season: Lasts for 4.2 months, from November 7 to March 12, with an average daily high temperature above 82°F.
- Hottest Month: January, with an average high of 85°F and a low of 63°F.
- Cool Season: Lasts for 2.2 months, from May 29 to August 4, with an average daily high temperature below 72°F.
- Coldest Month: June, with an average low of 41°F and a high of 70°F.
The figure below shows a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.
Average monthly temperatures in Ladysmith.
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Cloud Cover
Cloud cover in Ladysmith varies significantly throughout the year:
- Clearer Period: Begins around February 18 and lasts for 7.1 months, ending around September 22.
- Clearest Month: July, during which the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 87% of the time.
- Cloudier Period: Begins around September 22 and lasts for 4.9 months, ending around February 18.
- Cloudiest Month: November, during which the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 38% of the time.
Precipitation
Precipitation patterns in Ladysmith are quite distinct:
- Wet Season: Lasts 5.5 months, from October 12 to March 28, with a greater than 30% chance of a given day being a wet day.
- Month with Most Wet Days: December, with an average of 17.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.
- Drier Season: Lasts 6.5 months, from March 28 to October 12.
- Month with Fewest Wet Days: June, with an average of 1.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.
The most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 58% on December 11.
Ladysmith experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 9.3 months, from July 30 to May 8, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Ladysmith is January, with an average rainfall of 4.5 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 2.7 months, from May 8 to July 30. The month with the least rain in Ladysmith is June, with an average rainfall of 0.3 inches.
Sunlight
The amount of daylight varies throughout the year:
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- Shortest Day: June 21, with 10 hours, 19 minutes of daylight.
- Longest Day: December 21, with 13 hours, 58 minutes of daylight.
- The earliest sunrise is at 4:55 AM on December 2, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 59 minutes later at 6:54 AM on July 2.
- The earliest sunset is at 5:11 PM on June 9, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 52 minutes later at 7:03 PM on January 9.
Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Ladysmith during 2025.
Humidity
Ladysmith experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from December 6 to March 19, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 4% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Ladysmith is January, with 4.6 days that are muggy or worse. The least muggy day of the year is July 12, when muggy conditions are essentially unheard of.
Wind
The average hourly wind speed in Ladysmith experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from July 5 to December 16, with average wind speeds of more than 7.0 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Ladysmith is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.4 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 6.6 months, from December 16 to July 5. The calmest month of the year in Ladysmith is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.6 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in Ladysmith varies throughout the year. The wind is most often from the west for 5.6 months, from April 11 to September 28, with a peak percentage of 56% on June 13. The wind is most often from the east for 6.4 months, from September 28 to April 11, with a peak percentage of 48% on January 1.
Tourism and Beach/Pool Scores
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ladysmith throughout the year, two travel scores are computed:
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- Tourism Score: Favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. The best times of year for general outdoor tourist activities are from late February to mid-May and from mid-August to early October, with a peak score in the second week of April.
- Beach/Pool Score: Favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. The best time of year for hot-weather activities is from mid-December to late March, with a peak score in the third week of February.
Tourism score based on temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation.
Growing Season
Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, it is defined as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year. While it does not do so every year, freezing temperatures are seen in Ladysmith over some winters. The day least likely to be in the growing season is June 27, with a 66% chance. Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Ladysmith should appear around July 15, only rarely appearing before July 13 or after July 18.
Solar Energy
The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from October 29 to February 22, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 7.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Ladysmith is December, with an average of 7.7 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.1 months, from May 5 to August 7, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Ladysmith is June, with an average of 3.9 kWh.
This report illustrates the typical weather in Ladysmith, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.
7-Day Weather Forecast for Ladysmith
Here is a summary of the expected weather conditions over the next week:| Day | Condition | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Rain showers early with overcast skies later in the day. | 67°F | 55°F |
| Tomorrow | Sunshine and clouds mixed. | 82°F | 55°F |
| Next Day | Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. | 81°F | 57°F |
| In 4 Days | Scattered thunderstorms in the morning becoming more widespread in the afternoon. | 75°F | 60°F |
| In 5 Days | Partly cloudy with afternoon showers or thunderstorms. | 83°F | 60°F |
| In 6 Days | Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. | 89°F | 62°F |
| In 7 Days | Cloudy skies during the morning hours followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. | 77°F | 62°F |
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