Cape Town in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Cape Town sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 125 mm of rain over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early March to 17°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Fall is Cape Town's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Cape Town's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 125 mm
- 17 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Cape Town in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early March to 17°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Cape Town reaches about 20°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
Cape Town weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Cape Town gets around 125 mm of rain over 17 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 17 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early March to 9 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Cape Town
In fall, Cape Town overlaps 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.
Is fall a good time to visit Cape Town?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is one of the better times to visit Cape Town for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Cape Town in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Cape Town sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Cape Town in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 16°C across fall — 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.
| 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 in Cape Town in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 6 — 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.
| 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 |
Air quality in Cape Town in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall 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).
| 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 |
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.
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.