🇱🇸Lesotho

Lesotho lies around 29°30′S as a small landlocked country (approximately 30,355 km²) entirely surrounded by South Africa, the world's only independent state lying entirely above 1,000 m elevation, with the lowest point at the Senqu (Orange) and Makhaleng confluence reaching 1,400 m, the highest national low-point on Earth.

Known as the Kingdom in the Sky, the landscape is dominated by the Drakensberg (Maloti) escarpment in the east, where Thabana Ntlenyana at 3,482 m stands as the country's and southern Africa's highest peak. This striking high-altitude setting produces a unique climate spectrum despite the subtropical latitude: subtropical highland (Cwb) in the western lowlands around Maseru and at middle elevations, and an alpine tendency on the high Drakensberg plateaus, with regular winter snowfall and frosts.

Maseru at 1,600 m has July highs of 17°C and nights of −1°C, and January highs of 28°C, with 780 mm rainfall, mostly in the austral summer October to March. Mafeteng sees July highs of 15°C and nights of 1°C, and January highs of 27°C, with 680 mm. Mokhotlong in the northeastern highlands sees July nights averaging −1°C and January days near 25°C with about 590 mm.

Sehlabathebe and the Drakensberg summits are much colder in winter, with snow most common from May to September and highland temperatures that can drop to −18°C at times. Major climate events include the severe July 2016 snowfall, the heaviest in two decades; recurrent severe droughts including the 2015–16 El Niño-driven event that led to a national state of emergency and the severe 2018–19 drought; and floods that can be severe in the October–April rainy season.

Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.4°C.