Durban weather in October

In October, Durban sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 90 mm of rain across 12.5 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in October, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Durban's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Durban's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
8th warmest
Overnight low
17°
6th coldest
Rainfall
90 mm
12.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:19 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Durban is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
14,776/km²
people per km²
Founded
1835

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical October day in Durban reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52317
62317
72317
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162317
172317
182317
192317
202317
212318
222318
232318
242318
252418
262418
272418
282418
292418
302418
312418

Durban weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 21°911313.76.0
Feb27° / 22°8411.313.16.1
Mar27° / 21°9011.412.26.5
Apr25° / 19°748.611.37.3
May24° / 16°435.410.58.2
Jun23° / 14°284.610.18.4
Jul22° / 13°424.710.38.2
Aug23° / 14°345.910.97.9
Sep23° / 16°608.611.87.2
Oct23° / 17°9012.512.76.4
Nov24° / 19°9613.413.56.2
Dec26° / 20°9413.113.96.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24753
34753
44555
54555
64357
74258
84258
94159
104159
114060
123961
133961
143961
154060
163961
174060
184060
194060
204060
213961
224060
234060
244060
254060
264060
274060
283862
293763
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Durban gets around 90 mm of rain over 12.5 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 40% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
339
439
540
640
740
840
940
1040
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2240
2340
2440
2541
2641
2741
2841
2941
3041
3141

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the humid band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 16% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
116334370
216334380
316334480
415334490
515334490
6143344100
7133344100
8133343110
9123343120
10123343120
11123342130
12113342140
13113342140
14103342150
15103342150
16103342160
1793342160
1893242170
1993242180
2083142180
2183143190
2283043190
2372944200
2472844201
2572745211
2672645211
2772545221
2872445231
2972345241
3072245251
3172144262

Wind in October

Winds average 15 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:36 AM to 5:05 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 6:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:365:53
212.35:355:54
312.35:345:55
412.45:335:55
512.45:315:56
612.45:305:56
712.55:295:57
812.55:285:58
912.55:275:58
1012.65:265:59
1112.65:246:00
1212.65:236:00
1312.65:226:01
1412.75:216:02
1512.75:206:02
1612.75:196:03
1712.85:186:04
1812.85:176:04
1912.85:166:05
2012.95:156:06
2112.95:146:06
2212.95:136:07
2312.95:126:08
2413.05:116:09
2513.05:106:09
2613.05:096:10
2713.05:086:11
2813.15:076:12
2913.15:066:12
3013.15:066:13
3113.25:056:14

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 5.78 kWh/m² in January across the year — October's 4.95 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Durban

In seasonPeak

None of Durban's seasonal hazards are active in October. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Durban sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

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

Is October a good time to visit Durban?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Durban for sightseeing.

What to pack for Durban in October

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

In October, Durban sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Durban in October

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in October — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Durban in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Durban peaks around January 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Durban in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Durban is worst in July — around 148 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11147 µg/m³Jan 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar50Poor
Apr77Unhealthy
May126Unhealthy
Jun144Unhealthy
Jul148Unhealthy
Aug116Unhealthy
Sep88Unhealthy
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov41Poor
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Durban?

Durban sits at 29.9°S, 31.0°E, 21 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Pinetown, 14 km away.

Topography around Durban

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Durban has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 442 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,547 m.

The land around Durban is covered by water (42%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 3 km, water (49%), trees (24%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 16 km, and trees (34%), water (32%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
442 m
80 km
1,547 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Pinetown 14 km · Ntuzuma 15 km · Folweni 26 km · Tongaat 33 km · Mpumalanga 38 km · Ballitoville 40 km · eMkhomazi 45 km · Shakaskraal 49 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 Durban (-29.8579°, 31.0292°, elevation 21 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).