Bethal Weather Records (SF000068370)

Record envelope, standing records and threshold days for Bethal (SF000068370), South Africa, with 51 years of record.

Key Facts for Bethal

Bethal (SF000068370) is a weather station in South Africa at -26.47 latitude and 29.45 longitude, 838 m (2,749 ft) above sea level.
The station reports from 1964 to 2014, 51 years of record.
1,464 records set at Bethal still stand.
Records are tracked for tmax, tmin, prcp: an element needs 30 years of data to be eligible.
Bethal tied a daily record high maximum temperature of 30.4 C (86.7 F) on 18 February 2014.

About the Station

Location: South Africa, -26.47 latitude, 29.45 longitude.
Elevation: 838 m (2,749 ft).
Period of record: 1964 to 2014, 51 years.
Eligible elements: tmax, tmin, prcp.

Daily Record Envelope and 2026

0 days at or beyond a record

The band shows the record high and record low for each calendar day at Bethal. The lines show the 2026 daily maximum and minimum. 0 days in 2026 matched or passed a record. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

Daily record high and record low at Bethal, with 2026 drawn through them
Month	Highest record high	Lowest record low	2026 highest maximum	2026 lowest minimum
Jan	33.7 C (92.7 F)	4.0 C (39.2 F)	n/a	n/a
Feb	34.4 C (93.9 F)	6.0 C (42.8 F)	n/a	n/a
Mar	33.3 C (91.9 F)	0.5 C (32.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Apr	30.0 C (86.0 F)	-1.4 C (29.5 F)	n/a	n/a
May	27.4 C (81.3 F)	-5.9 C (21.4 F)	n/a	n/a
Jun	25.2 C (77.4 F)	-9.2 C (15.4 F)	n/a	n/a
Jul	24.6 C (76.3 F)	-10.6 C (12.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Aug	28.1 C (82.6 F)	-12.5 C (9.5 F)	n/a	n/a
Sep	32.0 C (89.6 F)	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Oct	33.0 C (91.4 F)	-1.2 C (29.8 F)	n/a	n/a
Nov	32.6 C (90.7 F)	1.0 C (33.8 F)	n/a	n/a
Dec	33.0 C (91.4 F)	1.7 C (35.1 F)	n/a	n/a

Which Years Hold Standing Records

1,464 standing records

1,464 records at Bethal still stand. 1998 holds the most, with 78.

Standing records at Bethal by the year they were set
Year set	Standing records
1964	41
1965	55
1966	48
1967	33
1968	65
1969	35
1970	37
1971	25
1972	51
1973	42
1974	34
1975	27
1976	29
1977	33
1978	35
1979	40
1980	24
1981	30
1982	24
1983	58
1984	32
1985	30
1986	17
1987	54
1988	18
1989	48
1990	26
1991	28
1992	62
1993	26
1994	46
1995	38
1996	37
1997	57
1998	78
1999	33
2000	44
2001	16
2002	1
2003	1
2004	4
2005	2

All-Time Record Progression

3 new records

3 all-time records were set at Bethal between 25 March 1995 and 30 March 2000. Each dot is a new record.

When Bethal set new all-time records
Date	Kind	Detail
1995-03-25	Record daily precipitation	Record daily precipitation 91.0 mm (3.6 in)
1996-07-07	Record low maximum temperature	Record low maximum temperature 2.4 C (36.3 F)
2000-03-30	Record daily precipitation	Record daily precipitation 97.0 mm (3.8 in)

Wettest Day of Each Month

Mar: 97.0 mm (3.8 in)

The wettest day on record for each calendar month at Bethal. The most was 97.0 mm (3.8 in) on 30 March 2000.

Record daily precipitation for each month at Bethal
Month	Record daily precipitation (mm)	Date
Jan	71.0 mm (2.8 in)	8 January 1987
Feb	88.0 mm (3.5 in)	27 February 1981
Mar	97.0 mm (3.8 in)	30 March 2000
Apr	64.0 mm (2.5 in)	1 April 1964
May	54.0 mm (2.1 in)	3 May 1976
Jun	40.0 mm (1.6 in)	4 June 1989
Jul	25.0 mm (1.0 in)	1 July 1974
Aug	29.0 mm (1.1 in)	8 August 1983
Sep	56.0 mm (2.2 in)	30 September 1993
Oct	61.0 mm (2.4 in)	18 October 1969
Nov	83.0 mm (3.3 in)	12 November 1997
Dec	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	8 December 1964

Period of Record Coverage

1964 to 2014

44 years of record at Bethal, 1964 to 2014. 12 years have data for under 90 percent of days and are left out of rankings: 1970, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1988, 2001, 2002, 2003 and others.

Days with data per year at Bethal
Year	Days with data	Share of year	Complete
1964	335	92%	Yes
1965	361	99%	Yes
1966	365	100%	Yes
1967	364	100%	Yes
1968	364	99%	Yes
1969	360	99%	Yes
1970	325	89%	No
1971	341	93%	Yes
1972	364	99%	Yes
1973	329	90%	Yes
1974	364	100%	Yes
1975	350	96%	Yes
1976	307	84%	No
1977	341	93%	Yes
1978	353	97%	Yes
1979	361	99%	Yes
1980	364	99%	Yes
1981	264	72%	No
1982	363	99%	Yes
1983	365	100%	Yes
1984	364	99%	Yes
1985	365	100%	Yes
1986	324	89%	No
1987	332	91%	Yes
1988	218	60%	No
1989	333	91%	Yes
1990	364	100%	Yes
1991	335	92%	Yes
1992	363	99%	Yes
1993	364	100%	Yes
1994	363	99%	Yes
1995	333	91%	Yes
1996	366	100%	Yes
1997	365	100%	Yes
1998	364	100%	Yes
1999	364	100%	Yes
2000	366	100%	Yes
2001	150	41%	No
2002	7	2%	No
2003	15	4%	No
2004	17	5%	No
2005	14	4%	No
2006	1	0%	No
2014	1	0%	No

Latest Records

Latest records at Bethal
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
18 February 2014	Bethal, ZA	daily high max (Tie)	30.4 C (86.7 F)	tie	31 years	3 of 100 (Routine)
2 April 2005	Bethal, ZA	daily high min	13.9 C (57.0 F)	0.2 C (0.4 F)	16 years	9 of 100 (Routine)
7 February 2005	Bethal, ZA	daily low min	8.4 C (47.1 F)	1.7 C (3.1 F)	40 years	24 of 100 (Routine)
31 December 2004	Bethal, ZA	daily high min	16.3 C (61.3 F)	0.7 C (1.3 F)	27 years	15 of 100 (Routine)
31 December 2004	Bethal, ZA	daily high max	29.6 C (85.3 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	25 years	11 of 100 (Routine)
19 November 2004	Bethal, ZA	daily high max	31.6 C (88.9 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	14 years	10 of 100 (Routine)
24 July 2004	Bethal, ZA	daily high max	23.9 C (75.0 F)	0.3 C (0.5 F)	7 years	7 of 100 (Routine)
1 March 2004	Bethal, ZA	daily rain	22.1 mm (0.9 in)	3.1 mm (0.12 in)	35 years	16 of 100 (Routine)
4 February 2003	Bethal, ZA	daily high min	16.6 C (61.9 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	21 years	10 of 100 (Routine)
27 December 2002	Bethal, ZA	daily rain	38.9 mm (1.5 in)	19.9 mm (0.8 in)	28 years	29 of 100 (Routine)
7 November 2002	Bethal, ZA	monthly low min	1.0 C (33.8 F)	2.0 C (3.6 F)	32 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
26 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily high max	23.7 C (74.7 F)	0.6 C (1.1 F)	8 years	7 of 100 (Routine)
20 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily low min	0.2 C (32.4 F)	0.1 C (0.2 F)	20 years	9 of 100 (Routine)
7 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily low min	-0.7 C (30.7 F)	0.8 C (1.4 F)	11 years	8 of 100 (Routine)
6 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily low max	13.9 C (57.0 F)	1.0 C (1.8 F)	24 years	13 of 100 (Routine)
6 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily low min	-1.5 C (29.3 F)	1.5 C (2.7 F)	8 years	9 of 100 (Routine)
2 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily low max	12.4 C (54.3 F)	1.5 C (2.7 F)	23 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
1 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily high min (Tie)	11.0 C (51.8 F)	tie	22 years	2 of 100 (Routine)
1 May 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily rain (Tie)	9.0 mm (0.35 in)	tie	23 years	2 of 100 (Routine)
30 April 2001	Bethal, ZA	daily rain (Tie)	15.0 mm (0.6 in)	tie	24 years	2 of 100 (Routine)

Climate Trend

23 complete years, 1965 to 2000

One stripe for each of 23 complete years at Bethal, 1965 to 2000. Blue stripes are years cooler than the station's own mean of 15.3 C (59.6 F); red stripes are warmer. The coolest year was 1967, at 14.7 C (58.4 F), and the warmest was 1983, at 16.2 C (61.1 F). The strongest colour marks a difference of 0.9 C (1.6 F).

Annual mean temperature at Bethal as warming stripes, 1965 to 2000
Year	Annual mean temperature	Difference from the station mean
1965	15.1 C	-0.26 C
1966	15.4 C	+0.13 C
1967	14.7 C	-0.65 C
1968	15.1 C	-0.21 C
1969	15.4 C	+0.10 C
1972	15.2 C	-0.16 C
1974	14.8 C	-0.47 C
1978	15.3 C	0.00 C
1979	15.5 C	+0.20 C
1980	15.0 C	-0.34 C
1982	15.6 C	+0.28 C
1983	16.2 C	+0.84 C
1984	15.3 C	-0.01 C
1985	15.6 C	+0.30 C
1990	15.0 C	-0.28 C
1992	15.9 C	+0.61 C
1993	15.6 C	+0.33 C
1994	14.8 C	-0.53 C
1996	15.0 C	-0.27 C
1997	15.2 C	-0.13 C
1998	15.9 C	+0.59 C
1999	15.7 C	+0.43 C
2000	14.9 C	-0.42 C

This station does not have enough complete years (30 are needed) to fit a temperature trend.

A year is complete when all 12 months have at least 20 days of both daily maximum and daily minimum readings. The annual mean is the mean of the monthly means. The trend describes this one station over this period; it does not say what caused the change.

Extremes by Year

1964 to 2014

Yearly extremes at Bethal: the record and the median year
Measure	Record	Year of the record	Median year	Years with a value
Hottest day (TXx)	34.4 C (93.9 F)	1983	31.4 C (88.5 F)	44
Coldest night (TNn)	-12.5 C (9.5 F)	1976	-5.5 C (22.1 F)	44
Wettest day (Rx1day)	97.0 mm (3.8 in)	2000	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	43
Wettest five days (Rx5day)	152.0 mm (6.0 in)	1975	86.5 mm (3.4 in)	38
Longest dry spell (CDD)	151 days	1994	50 days	41

Hottest day (TXx)

The hottest day of the year at Bethal, 1964 to 2014. The record is 34.4 C (93.9 F) in 1983, marked on the chart; the median year is 31.4 C (88.5 F).

Hottest day (TXx) at Bethal by year
Year	Hottest day (TXx)
1964	32.1 C (89.8 F)
1965	33.0 C (91.4 F)
1966	32.4 C (90.3 F)
1967	31.0 C (87.8 F)
1968	33.0 C (91.4 F)
1969	33.7 C (92.7 F)
1970	31.3 C (88.3 F)
1971	30.6 C (87.1 F)
1972	32.3 C (90.1 F)
1973	32.6 C (90.7 F)
1974	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1975	29.5 C (85.1 F)
1976	29.3 C (84.7 F)
1977	30.7 C (87.3 F)
1978	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1979	30.5 C (86.9 F)
1980	30.7 C (87.3 F)
1981	32.0 C (89.6 F)
1982	31.6 C (88.9 F)
1983	34.4 C (93.9 F)
1984	31.7 C (89.1 F)
1985	31.2 C (88.2 F)
1986	30.5 C (86.9 F)
1987	30.5 C (86.9 F)
1988	32.1 C (89.8 F)
1989	31.4 C (88.5 F)
1990	31.3 C (88.3 F)
1991	31.8 C (89.2 F)
1992	32.9 C (91.2 F)
1993	32.9 C (91.2 F)
1994	31.4 C (88.5 F)
1995	31.8 C (89.2 F)
1996	30.6 C (87.1 F)
1997	31.9 C (89.4 F)
1998	31.8 C (89.2 F)
1999	33.3 C (91.9 F)
2000	30.3 C (86.5 F)
2001	32.6 C (90.7 F)
2002	29.0 C (84.2 F)
2003	30.3 C (86.5 F)
2004	31.6 C (88.9 F)
2005	29.3 C (84.7 F)
2006	27.0 C (80.6 F)
2014	30.4 C (86.7 F)

Coldest night (TNn)

The coldest night of the year at Bethal, 1964 to 2014. The record is -12.5 C (9.5 F) in 1976, marked on the chart; the median year is -5.5 C (22.1 F).

Coldest night (TNn) at Bethal by year
Year	Coldest night (TNn)
1964	-9.2 C (15.4 F)
1965	-7.0 C (19.4 F)
1966	-6.8 C (19.8 F)
1967	-7.4 C (18.7 F)
1968	-7.0 C (19.4 F)
1969	-4.2 C (24.4 F)
1970	-2.9 C (26.8 F)
1971	-5.9 C (21.4 F)
1972	-7.5 C (18.5 F)
1973	-4.5 C (23.9 F)
1974	-5.5 C (22.1 F)
1975	-5.2 C (22.6 F)
1976	-12.5 C (9.5 F)
1977	-5.0 C (23.0 F)
1978	-6.0 C (21.2 F)
1979	-6.0 C (21.2 F)
1980	-5.0 C (23.0 F)
1981	-4.7 C (23.5 F)
1982	-4.4 C (24.1 F)
1983	-3.5 C (25.7 F)
1984	-3.4 C (25.9 F)
1985	-6.1 C (21.0 F)
1986	-3.0 C (26.6 F)
1987	-5.5 C (22.1 F)
1988	-5.0 C (23.0 F)
1989	-7.1 C (19.2 F)
1990	-7.8 C (18.0 F)
1991	-6.4 C (20.5 F)
1992	-10.6 C (12.9 F)
1993	-6.0 C (21.2 F)
1994	-8.3 C (17.1 F)
1995	-4.8 C (23.4 F)
1996	-6.3 C (20.7 F)
1997	-5.6 C (21.9 F)
1998	-6.9 C (19.6 F)
1999	-5.0 C (23.0 F)
2000	-8.9 C (16.0 F)
2001	-1.5 C (29.3 F)
2002	1.0 C (33.8 F)
2003	-2.2 C (28.0 F)
2004	-1.9 C (28.6 F)
2005	1.0 C (33.8 F)
2006	13.9 C (57.0 F)
2014	10.1 C (50.2 F)

Wettest day (Rx1day)

The wettest day of the year at Bethal, 1964 to 2014. The record is 97.0 mm (3.8 in) in 2000, marked on the chart; the median year is 53.0 mm (2.1 in).

Wettest day (Rx1day) at Bethal by year
Year	Wettest day (Rx1day)
1964	87.0 mm (3.4 in)
1965	35.0 mm (1.4 in)
1966	64.0 mm (2.5 in)
1967	57.0 mm (2.2 in)
1968	25.0 mm (1.0 in)
1969	61.0 mm (2.4 in)
1970	32.0 mm (1.3 in)
1971	54.0 mm (2.1 in)
1972	66.0 mm (2.6 in)
1973	48.0 mm (1.9 in)
1974	53.0 mm (2.1 in)
1975	58.0 mm (2.3 in)
1976	54.0 mm (2.1 in)
1977	66.0 mm (2.6 in)
1978	49.0 mm (1.9 in)
1979	55.0 mm (2.2 in)
1980	82.0 mm (3.2 in)
1981	88.0 mm (3.5 in)
1982	52.0 mm (2.0 in)
1983	31.0 mm (1.2 in)
1984	41.0 mm (1.6 in)
1985	53.0 mm (2.1 in)
1986	32.0 mm (1.3 in)
1987	71.0 mm (2.8 in)
1988	42.0 mm (1.7 in)
1989	44.0 mm (1.7 in)
1990	61.0 mm (2.4 in)
1991	56.0 mm (2.2 in)
1992	37.0 mm (1.5 in)
1993	68.0 mm (2.7 in)
1994	33.0 mm (1.3 in)
1995	91.0 mm (3.6 in)
1996	75.0 mm (3.0 in)
1997	83.0 mm (3.3 in)
1998	39.0 mm (1.5 in)
1999	53.0 mm (2.1 in)
2000	97.0 mm (3.8 in)
2001	69.0 mm (2.7 in)
2002	38.9 mm (1.5 in)
2003	38.1 mm (1.5 in)
2004	22.1 mm (0.9 in)
2005	2.8 mm (0.11 in)
2006	14.0 mm (0.6 in)
2014	n/a

Wettest five days (Rx5day)

The wettest five days of the year at Bethal, 1964 to 2014. The record is 152.0 mm (6.0 in) in 1975, marked on the chart; the median year is 86.5 mm (3.4 in).

Wettest five days (Rx5day) at Bethal by year
Year	Wettest five days (Rx5day)
1964	98.0 mm (3.9 in)
1965	52.0 mm (2.0 in)
1966	85.0 mm (3.3 in)
1967	99.0 mm (3.9 in)
1968	56.0 mm (2.2 in)
1969	109.0 mm (4.3 in)
1970	70.0 mm (2.8 in)
1971	80.0 mm (3.1 in)
1972	137.0 mm (5.4 in)
1973	92.0 mm (3.6 in)
1974	87.0 mm (3.4 in)
1975	152.0 mm (6.0 in)
1976	79.0 mm (3.1 in)
1977	101.0 mm (4.0 in)
1978	105.0 mm (4.1 in)
1979	70.0 mm (2.8 in)
1980	132.0 mm (5.2 in)
1981	124.0 mm (4.9 in)
1982	67.0 mm (2.6 in)
1983	86.0 mm (3.4 in)
1984	65.0 mm (2.6 in)
1985	113.0 mm (4.4 in)
1986	61.0 mm (2.4 in)
1987	103.0 mm (4.1 in)
1988	46.0 mm (1.8 in)
1989	83.0 mm (3.3 in)
1990	121.0 mm (4.8 in)
1991	79.0 mm (3.1 in)
1992	60.0 mm (2.4 in)
1993	94.0 mm (3.7 in)
1994	58.0 mm (2.3 in)
1995	135.0 mm (5.3 in)
1996	111.0 mm (4.4 in)
1997	140.0 mm (5.5 in)
1998	68.0 mm (2.7 in)
1999	68.0 mm (2.7 in)
2000	119.0 mm (4.7 in)
2001	69.0 mm (2.7 in)
2002	n/a
2003	n/a
2004	n/a
2005	n/a
2006	n/a
2014	n/a

Longest dry spell (CDD)

The longest dry spell of the year at Bethal, 1964 to 2014. The record is 151 days in 1994, marked on the chart; the median year is 50 days.

Longest dry spell (CDD) at Bethal by year
Year	Longest dry spell (CDD)
1964	46 days
1965	48 days
1966	72 days
1967	43 days
1968	49 days
1969	67 days
1970	39 days
1971	81 days
1972	83 days
1973	91 days
1974	43 days
1975	45 days
1976	46 days
1977	71 days
1978	88 days
1979	31 days
1980	112 days
1981	54 days
1982	48 days
1983	43 days
1984	38 days
1985	59 days
1986	86 days
1987	50 days
1988	89 days
1989	49 days
1990	39 days
1991	94 days
1992	106 days
1993	84 days
1994	151 days
1995	54 days
1996	42 days
1997	26 days
1998	146 days
1999	110 days
2000	67 days
2001	28 days
2002	n/a
2003	1 day
2004	1 day
2005	1 day
2006	n/a
2014	n/a

Each chart shows one value per year; the dot marks the record year. TXx is the hottest daily maximum, TNn the coldest daily minimum, Rx1day and Rx5day the largest one-day and five-day rain totals, and CDD the longest run of days with less than 1 mm of rain. A year with missing days can understate an extreme.

Frost Dates and Growing Season

23 years with a frost

Across 23 years with a frost, the median last spring frost at Bethal falls on 27 August and the median first autumn frost on 15 May, which leaves a median of 261 days between them.

Frost dates and growing season at Bethal
Measure	Median, all years	Earliest period	Recent period (1965 to 2000)	Recent against earliest	Fitted trend
Last spring frost	27 August	n/a	27 August	n/a	n/a
First autumn frost	15 May	n/a	15 May	n/a	n/a
Growing days	261 days	n/a	261 days	n/a	n/a

A frost day is a day with a daily minimum at or below 0 C (32 F). The last spring frost and the first autumn frost are the last and first such days of the cold season, and growing days are the days between them. A negative trend for the last spring frost means it comes earlier.

Rainfall Return Levels

36 years, 1964 to 2000

A day with at least 54.7 mm (2.2 in) of rain is expected about once in 2 years. A day with at least 109.3 mm (4.3 in) of rain is expected about once in 100 years.

Rainfall return levels at Bethal: the daily rain expected about once in a given number of years
Expected about once in	A day with at least	Note
2 years	54.7 mm (2.2 in)
5 years	72.2 mm (2.8 in)
10 years	82.5 mm (3.2 in)
25 years	94.3 mm (3.7 in)
50 years	102.1 mm (4.0 in)	Longer than the 36 years of record
100 years	109.3 mm (4.3 in)	Longer than the 36 years of record

The levels come from a generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution fitted by L-moments to the wettest-day total of each year, 36 years of values from 1964 to 2000.

A return level is an estimate. It is least reliable for the long periods, 50 and 100 years, and for any period longer than the record behind the fit, where the fit has to reach past the largest day actually observed. It is not a forecast.

The largest wettest-day totals in the fit: 97.0 mm (3.8 in) in 2000; 91.0 mm (3.6 in) in 1995; 88.0 mm (3.5 in) in 1981.

Download the Data

Data for Bethal standing records by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.
Data for Bethal threshold days by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2025-12-31. Last revised 31 December 2025 (2025-12-31).