East London in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), East London sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 208 mm of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 25°C in early March to 21°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels humid.

Fall is East London's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see East London's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
23°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
19°C
Rainfall
208 mm
27 wet days
Avg wind
18 km/h
Travel score
7.2
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in East London in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 25°C in early March to 21°C by late May.

A typical fall day in East London reaches about 23°C and drops to 19°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°15°20°25°30°MarAprMay

East London 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 21°8111.613.96.7
Feb25° / 21°8410.913.26.6
Mar24° / 20°9012.112.36.8
Apr23° / 19°859.611.27.0
May22° / 17°345.710.37.7
Jun21° / 15°344.59.97.7
Jul20° / 14°385.1107.6
Aug20° / 14°476.910.87.1
Sep20° / 15°577.611.86.8
Oct21° / 17°7711.312.86.3
Nov22° / 18°8411.613.76.3
Dec23° / 19°8312.514.16.5

Cloud cover in Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

East London gets around 208 mm of rain over 27 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Fall

Winds average 18 km/h across fall.

0510152025MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early March to 10 hours by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.0 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit East London?

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.

7.2
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is one of the better times to visit East London for general sightseeing.

What to pack for East London in Fall

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

In fall, East London sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 27 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near East London in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 24°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 25°C and coldest in August near 20°C.

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

18°20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan24Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr24Warm
May23Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug20Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov22Refreshing
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in East London in Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 East London peaks around January 16 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 highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in East London in Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in East London is worst in August — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (February, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1520 µg/m³Feb 98 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr12Good
May15Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is East London?

East London sits at 33.0°S, 27.9°E, 48 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Gonubie, 12 km away.

Topography around East London

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around East London has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 321 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,652 m.

The land around East London is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), water (33%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, water (48%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and water (33%), grassland (32%) and trees (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
105 m
16 km
321 m
80 km
1,652 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
Fall weather nearby: Gonubie 12 km · Mdantsane 16 km · Ndevana 39 km · Bhisho 48 km · Qonce 51 km · Stutterheim 67 km · Dimbaza 68 km · Butterworth 79 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 East London (-33.0153°, 27.9116°, elevation 48 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.