Cape Town weather in August

In August, Cape Town sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 87 mm of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Cape Town's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cape Town's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
12th warmest
Overnight low
11°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:29 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
45%
9th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

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.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month.

A typical August day in Cape Town reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 1°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11611
21611
31611
41611
51611
61611
71611
81611
91611
101611
111611
121611
131611
141611
151611
161611
171611
181611
191611
201611
211612
221612
231612
241612
251612
261612
271612
281612
291612
301612
311612

Cape Town weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 18°152.8148.5
Feb22° / 18°14313.38.5
Mar21° / 17°163.312.38.1
Apr20° / 15°435.211.27.2
May18° / 14°678.410.36.3
Jun16° / 12°10811.19.85.2
Jul16° / 11°989.9105.1
Aug16° / 11°8710.310.75.1
Sep17° / 12°518.211.85.7
Oct18° / 14°335.812.96.8
Nov20° / 15°305.113.87.3
Dec21° / 17°173.614.28.1

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
37030
47030
57030
67030
77030
87030
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147030
156931
166931
176931
186931
196832
206733
216733
226634
236535
246436
256337
266238
276139
286139
296040
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Cape Town gets around 87 mm of rain over 10.3 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
233
333
433
532
632
732
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1331
1431
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2033
2133
2233
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9964
10964
11964
12955
13955
14955
15946
16946
17946
18937
19937
20937
21928
22928
23928
24928
25928
26928
27928
28928
29928
30928
31928

Wind in August

Winds average 18 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 7:44 AM to 7:10 AM, and sunset from 6:01 PM to 6:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:446:01
210.37:436:02
310.37:426:03
410.47:416:03
510.47:406:04
610.47:396:05
710.57:386:06
810.57:376:06
910.57:366:07
1010.57:356:08
1110.67:346:09
1210.67:336:09
1310.67:326:10
1410.77:316:11
1510.77:306:11
1610.77:296:12
1710.87:276:13
1810.87:266:14
1910.87:256:14
2010.97:246:15
2110.97:236:16
2210.97:216:17
2311.07:206:17
2411.07:196:18
2511.07:186:19
2611.17:166:19
2711.17:156:20
2811.17:146:21
2911.27:126:22
3011.27:116:22
3111.27:106:23

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.53 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.48 kWh/m² to a high of 8.24 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.53 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.5Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.7Moderate
213.7Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.8Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
294.0Moderate
304.0Bright
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Cape Town

In seasonPeak

In August, Cape Town sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Cape Town's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Cape Town?

Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Cape Town for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cape Town in August

From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In August, Cape Town sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Cape Town in August

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May15Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Cape Town in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateVery highExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Cape Town in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual 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).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

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.

3 km
785 m
16 km
1,078 m
80 km
1,973 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Rondebosch 6.0 km · Athlone 9.0 km · Lansdowne 10 km · Retreat 15 km · Muizenberg 20 km · Durbanville 23 km · Kuils River 26 km · Kraaifontein 28 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 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).