Climate and average weather in Alice

In Alice, the summers are warm, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are mild and mostly clear.

Best: late February to mid December

Over the course of the year, the temperature in Alice typically varies from 7°C to 27°C, and is rarely below 2°C or above 34°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while June is the coldest.

Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Alice for warm-weather activities is from late February to mid December.

Hottest
Jan
27°
Coldest
Jun
Wettest
Jan
99 mm
Driest
May
24 mm
Rain / yr
751 mm
104 wet days
Daylight
9.8–14.2 h
shortest–longest
Elevation
522 m
32.8°S
Clearest
Jul
29% cloud

Alice is town in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,842/km²
people per km²
Founded
1824

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Alice weather by month, at a glance

The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.

Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around late February to mid December.

Temperature through the year

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Daily average highs and lows in Alice, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.

Temperatures in Alice stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is January, with an average high of 27°C and low of 16°C; the coolest is June, with an average low of 7°C and high of 20°C.

Days typically run about 12°C warmer than nights year-round.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
Jan2716
Feb2716
Mar2615
Apr2412
May2210
Jun207
Jul207
Aug218
Sep239
Oct2311
Nov2513
Dec2615

Average hourly temperature in Alice

A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 27°C, and coldest before dawn in June, near C.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM

Alice weather by month

Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°9911.913.96.3
Feb27° / 16°9311.413.26.2
Mar26° / 15°8411.312.26.7
Apr24° / 12°628.211.27.4
May22° / 10°244.710.37.9
Jun20° / 264.29.97.7
Jul20° / 284.410.17.7
Aug21° / 416.410.87.4
Sep23° / 487.511.87.3
Oct23° / 11°7110.512.87.0
Nov25° / 13°8411.313.76.7
Dec26° / 15°9311.914.16.4

Chance of rain

How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.

Alice gets about 751 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.

The wetter season lasts 6.6 months, from around Sep 26 to Apr 14, peaking in February at about 42% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 29.

January is the wettest month by volume, with 99 mm over about 12 wet days; May is the driest, with 24 mm.

0%10%20%30%40%50%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwetterdrierwettermostly drysome rainoften wetvery wetFeb 15 · 42%Jun 29 · 11%
Rain on a day (%)Rain days
Jan3812
Feb4111
Mar3611
Apr288
May155
Jun144
Jul154
Aug206
Sep268
Oct3311
Nov3811
Dec3912

Monthly rainfall

Over a full year, Alice collects about 751 mm of rain across 104 wet days — roughly 63 mm in an average month.

It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 99 mm, while May is the driest at just 24 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 38% of the year’s total.

0255075100125JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec999384622426284148718493
Rainfall (mm)Rain days
Jan9912
Feb9311
Mar8411
Apr628
May245
Jun264
Jul284
Aug416
Sep488
Oct7111
Nov8411
Dec9312

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.

In Alice, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around April 20 and lasts for 4.8 months, ending around September 11. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 79% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 12 and lasts for 7.2 months, ending around April 19. The cloudiest month is November, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 49% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJul 2 · 81%Nov 13 · 49%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
Jan5743
Feb5644
Mar6040
Apr6238
May6832
Jun7822
Jul7921
Aug7327
Sep6139
Oct5347
Nov5149
Dec5545

Daylight, sunrise and sunset

DaylightNight

Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.

The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around December 17, brings about 14 h 12 min of light; the shortest, around June 17, only 9 h 48 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 24 min.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
Jan13.95:247:20
Feb13.25:517:03
Mar12.26:156:30
Apr11.26:375:49
May10.36:595:18
Jun9.97:175:09
Jul10.17:175:19
Aug10.86:535:40
Sep11.86:136:01
Oct12.85:336:22
Nov13.75:066:49
Dec14.15:047:13

Sunny days

How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.

Alice averages about 15 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 10 and 21 days.

The sunnier stretch runs 4.7 months, from around Apr 21 to Sep 11. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 20 sunny days (bright).

The greyest month is November, down near 10 sunny days — about 49% fewer than the July peak.

0510152025JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecgreyersunniergreyergloomymixedbrightbrilliantJul 221 daysNov 1410 days
Sunny daysSky
Jan12Mixed
Feb11Mixed
Mar14Mixed
Apr14Mixed
May17Bright
Jun19Bright
Jul21Bright
Aug19Bright
Sep14Mixed
Oct12Mixed
Nov10Mixed
Dec11Mixed

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.

In Alice, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.

The more humid part of the year lasts 3.9 months, from around December 3 to March 30. The muggiest month is February, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 53% of the time.

The most comfortable stretch runs from around March 31 to December 2, and May is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecMay 5 · 100%Feb 14 · 45%muggyhumidcomfortabledryhumidcomfortablehumid
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
Jan1937359
Feb15334310
Mar3139273
Apr722440
May98200
Jun100000
Jul100000
Aug99100
Sep96400
Oct831520
Nov632980
Dec3639223

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Alice is steady company: average speeds sit near 9 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeJun 18 · 10 km/hMar 24 · 8 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan9calm
Feb9calm
Mar8calm
Apr8calm
May9calm
Jun10calm
Jul10calm
Aug10calm
Sep10calm
Oct10calm
Nov10calm
Dec9calm

Best time to visit Alice

TravelBeach/poolTemperatureCloudsPrecipitation

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Alice throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.

Around mid December, Alice is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.

Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.

The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Alice for general outdoor tourist activities is from early March to mid December, with a peak score in the second week of May.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timetravel scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationMay 14 · 8.0

The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Travel score (0–10)Rating
Jan6.3good
Feb6.2good
Mar6.7good
Apr7.4good
May7.9ideal
Jun7.7ideal
Jul7.7ideal
Aug7.4good
Sep7.3good
Oct7.0good
Nov6.7good
Dec6.4good

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Alice for hot-weather activities is from early September to late May, with a peak score in the second week of January.

024681012JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbest timebest timebeach/pool scoretemperaturecloudsprecipitationJan 11 · 6.5

The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

What to pack for Alice, by month

EssentialRecommendedOptional

Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.

For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 27°C), the essentials are light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around June (highs near 20°C), pack a warm layer.

Light clothing
Warm layer
Winter coat
Rain gear
Sun protection
Windbreaker

In January, Alice sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

UV index (midday) in Alice by month

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alice peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Average hourly UV index in Alice

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.

The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.

UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 7 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AM
UV ≥ 3 (h/day)UV ≥ 6 (h/day)
Jan97
Feb8.56
Mar7.55
Apr5.51
May40
Jun20
Jul20
Aug4.50
Sep62
Oct85.5
Nov8.56.5
Dec97

Air quality in Alice by month

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.

Air quality in Alice is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1618 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Almanac & agriculture

Growing season

Chance of a frost-free dayFrost-free year round

Alice is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecfrost-free year round
Frost-free chance (%)Frost nights
Jan1000
Feb1000
Mar1000
Apr1000
May1000
Jun990
Jul980
Aug990
Sep1000
Oct1000
Nov1000
Dec1000

Growing degree days

Degree days (base 10°C)Frost-free shaded

Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Alice banks about 2,751 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.

01,0002,0003,000JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Growing degree days (°C·days)
Jan359
Feb328
Mar327
Apr240
May182
Jun106
Jul104
Aug129
Sep177
Oct223
Nov255
Dec320

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Alice receives about 4.8 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.9 and 6.6 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Sep 14 to Mar 21. The brightest month is December, averaging about 6.6 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is June, down near 3.0 kWh/m² — roughly 55% less than the December peak.

012345678JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbrighterdimmerbrighterdimmoderatebrightintenseDec 206.6 kWhJun 162.9 kWh
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
Jan6.4Intense
Feb5.7Bright
Mar5.0Bright
Apr4.0Bright
May3.3Moderate
Jun3.0Moderate
Jul3.2Moderate
Aug3.9Moderate
Sep4.9Bright
Oct5.6Bright
Nov6.3Intense
Dec6.6Intense

Where is Alice?

Alice sits at 32.8°S, 26.8°E, 522 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Fort Beaufort, 19 km away.

Topography around Alice

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Alice.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alice has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m around an average of 567 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,356 m.

The land around Alice is covered by grassland (45%) and shrubs (26%) within 3 km, grassland (49%), shrubs (30%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (60%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
223 m
16 km
1,165 m
80 km
2,356 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
Nearby: Fort Beaufort 19 km · Dimbaza 36 km · Qonce 53 km · Bhisho 57 km · Stutterheim 60 km · Grahamstown 64 km · Ndevana 64 km · Whittlesea 68 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%Muslim 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Alice (-32.7875°, 26.8344°, elevation 522 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).