Climate and average weather in Cape Town
In Cape Town, the summers are warm, fairly dry, and clear and the winters are mild and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Cape Town typically varies from 11°C to 22°C, and is rarely below 9°C or above 26°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while August is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Cape Town for warm-weather activities are from early January to late April and mid October to late December.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 22°
- Coldest
- Aug
- 11°
- Wettest
- Jun
- 108 mm
- Driest
- Feb
- 14 mm
- Rain / yr
- 578 mm
- 77 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.7–14.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 25 m
- 33.9°S
- Clearest
- Jan
- 22% cloud
Cape Town is city in the Western Cape, South Africa.
- Density
- 1,944/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1652
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Cape Town 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 early January to late April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Cape Town, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
Temperatures in Cape Town stay fairly even through the year, without a distinct hot or cool season. The warmest month is February, with an average high of 22°C and low of 18°C; the coolest is August, with an average low of 11°C and high of 16°C.
Days typically run about 4°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 22 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Avg low (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 18 |
| Feb | 22 | 18 |
| Mar | 21 | 17 |
| Apr | 20 | 15 |
| May | 18 | 14 |
| Jun | 16 | 12 |
| Jul | 16 | 11 |
| Aug | 16 | 11 |
| Sep | 17 | 12 |
| Oct | 18 | 14 |
| Nov | 20 | 15 |
| Dec | 21 | 17 |
Average hourly temperature in Cape Town
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 February afternoons, near 22°C, and coldest before dawn in August, near 11°C.
Cape Town weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22° / 18° | 15 | 2.8 | 14 | 8.5 |
| Feb | 22° / 18° | 14 | 3 | 13.3 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 21° / 17° | 16 | 3.3 | 12.3 | 8.1 |
| Apr | 20° / 15° | 43 | 5.2 | 11.2 | 7.2 |
| May | 18° / 14° | 67 | 8.4 | 10.3 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 16° / 12° | 108 | 11.1 | 9.8 | 5.2 |
| Jul | 16° / 11° | 98 | 9.9 | 10 | 5.1 |
| Aug | 16° / 11° | 87 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 5.1 |
| Sep | 17° / 12° | 51 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 5.7 |
| Oct | 18° / 14° | 33 | 5.8 | 12.9 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 20° / 15° | 30 | 5.1 | 13.8 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 21° / 17° | 17 | 3.6 | 14.2 | 8.1 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Cape Town gets about 578 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 5.2 months, from around Apr 30 to Oct 4, peaking in June at about 37% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jan 23.
June is the wettest month by volume, with 108 mm over about 11 wet days; February is the driest, with 14 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 10 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 11 |
| Rain days | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | 3 |
| Feb | 10 | 3 |
| Mar | 11 | 3 |
| Apr | 18 | 5 |
| May | 27 | 8 |
| Jun | 36 | 11 |
| Jul | 33 | 10 |
| Aug | 32 | 10 |
| Sep | 27 | 8 |
| Oct | 20 | 6 |
| Nov | 17 | 5 |
| Dec | 11 | 4 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Cape Town collects about 578 mm of rain across 77 wet days — roughly 48 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. June is the wettest month with 108 mm, while February is the driest at just 14 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 51% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 15 | 14 | 16 | 43 | 67 | 108 | 98 | 87 | 51 | 33 | 30 | 17 |
| Rain days | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 3 |
| Feb | 14 | 3 |
| Mar | 16 | 3 |
| Apr | 43 | 5 |
| May | 67 | 8 |
| Jun | 108 | 11 |
| Jul | 98 | 10 |
| Aug | 87 | 10 |
| Sep | 51 | 8 |
| Oct | 33 | 6 |
| Nov | 30 | 5 |
| Dec | 17 | 4 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Cape Town, 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 November 7 and lasts for 5.1 months, ending around April 9. The clearest month is January, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 89% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around April 10 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around November 6. The cloudiest month is May, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 39% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 89 | 88 | 81 | 70 | 61 | 64 | 66 | 67 | 62 | 71 | 76 | 82 |
| Cloudier (%) | 11 | 12 | 19 | 30 | 39 | 36 | 34 | 33 | 38 | 29 | 24 | 18 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89 | 11 |
| Feb | 88 | 12 |
| Mar | 81 | 19 |
| Apr | 70 | 30 |
| May | 61 | 39 |
| Jun | 64 | 36 |
| Jul | 66 | 34 |
| Aug | 67 | 33 |
| Sep | 62 | 38 |
| Oct | 71 | 29 |
| Nov | 76 | 24 |
| Dec | 82 | 18 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
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 18 min of light; the shortest, around June 18, only 9 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 | 10.0 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 5:55 | 6:23 | 6:48 | 7:12 | 7:35 | 7:54 | 7:54 | 7:29 | 6:47 | 6:05 | 5:38 | 5:35 |
| Sunset (PM) | 7:56 | 7:39 | 7:04 | 6:21 | 5:50 | 5:39 | 5:50 | 6:12 | 6:34 | 6:57 | 7:25 | 7:50 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.0 | 5:55 | 7:56 |
| Feb | 13.3 | 6:23 | 7:39 |
| Mar | 12.3 | 6:48 | 7:04 |
| Apr | 11.2 | 7:12 | 6:21 |
| May | 10.3 | 7:35 | 5:50 |
| Jun | 9.8 | 7:54 | 5:39 |
| Jul | 10.0 | 7:54 | 5:50 |
| Aug | 10.7 | 7:29 | 6:12 |
| Sep | 11.8 | 6:47 | 6:34 |
| Oct | 12.9 | 6:05 | 6:57 |
| Nov | 13.8 | 5:38 | 7:25 |
| Dec | 14.2 | 5:35 | 7:50 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Cape Town averages about 17 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 12 and 23 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 4.8 months, from around Nov 12 to Apr 5. The sunniest month is January, with roughly 23 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is May, down near 13 sunny days — about 45% fewer than the January peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 24 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 21 |
| Sky | Brilliant | Bright | Bright | Bright | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | Brilliant |
| Feb | 21 | Bright |
| Mar | 20 | Bright |
| Apr | 15 | Bright |
| May | 13 | Mixed |
| Jun | 13 | Mixed |
| Jul | 15 | Mixed |
| Aug | 14 | Mixed |
| Sep | 13 | Mixed |
| Oct | 16 | Bright |
| Nov | 17 | Bright |
| Dec | 21 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
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 Cape Town, how humid it feels changes dramatically over the year.
The more humid part of the year lasts 4.1 months, from around December 3 to April 7. The muggiest month is February, when the air feels humid, muggy or worse about 58% of the time.
The most comfortable stretch runs from around April 8 to December 2, and June is the most comfortable month — the air is dry or comfortable 100% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 13 | 9 | 16 | 36 | 56 | 89 | 97 | 94 | 84 | 63 | 48 | 24 |
| Comfortable (%) | 37 | 34 | 45 | 54 | 43 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 36 | 44 | 45 |
| Humid (%) | 46 | 52 | 37 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 31 |
| Muggy (%) | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 37 | 46 | 4 |
| Feb | 9 | 34 | 52 | 6 |
| Mar | 16 | 45 | 37 | 2 |
| Apr | 36 | 54 | 11 | 0 |
| May | 56 | 43 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 89 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 97 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 94 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 84 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 63 | 36 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov | 48 | 44 | 7 | 0 |
| Dec | 24 | 45 | 31 | 1 |
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.
Across the year, average wind speed in Cape Town is typically light breeze, near 19 km/h, and varies moderately with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 5.7 months, from around Oct 4 to Mar 24. The windiest month is January, averaging about 22 km/h (breezy).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 25 to Oct 3, with May the calmest month at about 16 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 22 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Feels | breezy | breezy | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | breezy | breezy |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | breezy |
| Feb | 22 | breezy |
| Mar | 20 | light breeze |
| Apr | 17 | light breeze |
| May | 16 | light breeze |
| Jun | 17 | light breeze |
| Jul | 17 | light breeze |
| Aug | 18 | light breeze |
| Sep | 18 | light breeze |
| Oct | 20 | light breeze |
| Nov | 21 | breezy |
| Dec | 22 | breezy |
Hazard calendar for Cape Town
When the seasonal hazards worth planning around — the rainy season, tropical-cyclone risk and dust haze — are active through the year.
Cape Town's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Best time to visit Cape Town
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Cape Town throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid April, Cape Town 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 Cape Town for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid October to late April, with a peak score in the last week of January.
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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 7.3 | 8.1 |
| Rating | ideal | ideal | ideal | good | good | fair | fair | fair | good | good | good | ideal |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.5 | ideal |
| Feb | 8.5 | ideal |
| Mar | 8.1 | ideal |
| Apr | 7.2 | good |
| May | 6.3 | good |
| Jun | 5.2 | fair |
| Jul | 5.1 | fair |
| Aug | 5.1 | fair |
| Sep | 5.7 | good |
| Oct | 6.8 | good |
| Nov | 7.3 | good |
| Dec | 8.1 | ideal |
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 Cape Town for hot-weather activities is from mid December to late March, with a peak score in the last week of January.
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 Cape Town, by month
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 February (highs near 22°C), the essentials are light clothes, sun protection and a windbreaker. In the cold season around August (highs near 16°C), pack a warm layer and rain gear.
In February, Cape Town sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 18°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 3 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Cape Town
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 18°C and coldest in August near 15°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 15 | Cool |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Bracing |
| Aug | 15 | Bracing |
| Sep | 15 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index (midday) in Cape Town by month
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 Cape Town peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Average hourly UV index in Cape Town
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 7 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 7 |
| Feb | 8 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 5.5 | 1 |
| May | 2.5 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 4 | 0 |
| Sep | 5.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 8 | 5.5 |
| Nov | 8.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 9 | 6.5 |
Air quality in Cape Town by month
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 Cape Town is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 20 | 19 | 28 | 41 | 52 | 50 | 47 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 18 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 28 | Moderate |
| Apr | 41 | Poor |
| May | 52 | Poor |
| Jun | 50 | Poor |
| Jul | 47 | Poor |
| Aug | 41 | Poor |
| Sep | 33 | Moderate |
| Oct | 29 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Growing season
Cape Town is frost-free year round — even the coldest nights rarely reach freezing, so there is no start or end to the growing season.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
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. Cape Town banks about 2,445 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 311 | 286 | 284 | 217 | 175 | 124 | 109 | 111 | 136 | 188 | 223 | 282 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 311 |
| Feb | 286 |
| Mar | 284 |
| Apr | 217 |
| May | 175 |
| Jun | 124 |
| Jul | 109 |
| Aug | 111 |
| Sep | 136 |
| Oct | 188 |
| Nov | 223 |
| Dec | 282 |
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.
Cape Town receives about 5.4 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 2.5 and 8.3 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 25 to Mar 25. The brightest month is January, averaging about 8.2 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 2.5 kWh/m² — roughly 69% less than the January peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 8.2 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 6.5 | 7.6 | 8.2 |
| Level | Intense | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.2 | Intense |
| Feb | 7.3 | Intense |
| Mar | 5.9 | Bright |
| Apr | 4.2 | Bright |
| May | 3.0 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Jul | 2.7 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4.9 | Bright |
| Oct | 6.5 | Intense |
| Nov | 7.6 | Intense |
| Dec | 8.2 | Intense |
Where is Cape Town?
Cape Town sits at 33.9°S, 18.4°E, 25 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Rondebosch, 6.0 km away.
What Cape Town looks like
Topography around Cape Town
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Cape Town.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Cape Town has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 785 m around an average of 102 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,078 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,973 m.
The land around Cape Town is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) within 3 km, water (45%) and artificial surfaces (27%) within 16 km, and water (46%) within 80 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
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 Cape Town (-33.9258°, 18.4232°, elevation 25 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).