MINIMUM Temperatures.

Hi madman

The temp. of -21 in my first post was mean and did not include windchill

From the web ...
The coldest temperature ever recorded in South Africa is -18.6 C at Buffelsfontein, near Molteno, Eastern Cape 1996-06-28

The coldest recorded temperature in Africa was -24 C in Ilfrane, Morocco in 1935.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Southern Africa was in
Lesotho −20.4 C at Letseng-la-Draai (Letseng-la-Terae), Mokhotlong District 1967-06-12

So u guys are measuring records!

I was always sure the Drakensberg is the coldest place in Africa, but never had proof. -27C at Oxbow seems more like it! South is colder, so yes indeed I would expect the record to be near Giant's Castle or Thabana-nt-Lenyana. May get -30C there at times, just no one around to measure it!

Where I live, it is not unusual to experience each winter a few weeks of -40 temperatures in the Rockies, either in Colorado (at 3000m) or in Montana (North, 1500m), both landlocked states. Wyoming, in between, is even colder, being at 3000m AND North. Wyoming has an icecap, in the Wind River Mountains, which have 7 of the largest glaciers in the 48 states (the other 3 are on Mt. Rainier in Washington, 4000m and on the Pacific coast).

Yeah yeah yeah, everyone always thinks I forgot the scale. Then they say, but that's Farenheit. Yep. And Celsius. The scales cross at -42.

At -40 diesel won't ignite, and oil becomes so viscous cars have a hard time starting. People "plug in" their cars when they return from work in order to keep the oil warm. Diesels have engine heaters and glow plugs. And if your anti-freeze isn't 50/50 mix or better, your radiator cracks. But the skiing is great!

I can well believe it.
I was surprised when I recorded -13 degrees on the 13th June 2012, at the bottom of Leslies Pass, in calm clear weather.
I could hear the creak of the water freezing in the cellarcask that I had used to store some water.
I never expected to have these kind of temperatures below the escarpment - I can only imagine what it was like on top.

I don't believe it's a record for South Africa.
I was at the top of the Amphitheater the same weekend as SeriousTribe and SeriousTribe2 who were at Leslies.
They were in Lesotho I gather.Presume they were camped near the river.
We recorded -22 C.
The fact that our readings are so similar and when you see the Sani Top Chalet reading...
Too much of a coincidence!

I was thinking the same thing. Its probably like the official coldest temperature ever recorded outside a lab being -100C odd on Dinali, when it is claimed by the team that did the first winter ascent of Dinali that it reached -140C on their climb.