East London in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), East London sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 118 mm of rain over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is East London's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see East London's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 118 mm
- 17 wet days
- Avg wind
- 18 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.5
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in East London in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 20°C.
A typical winter day in East London reaches about 20°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest July.
East London weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 | 24° / 21° | 81 | 11.6 | 13.9 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 25° / 21° | 84 | 10.9 | 13.2 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 24° / 20° | 90 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 23° / 19° | 85 | 9.6 | 11.2 | 7.0 |
| May | 22° / 17° | 34 | 5.7 | 10.3 | 7.7 |
| Jun | 21° / 15° | 34 | 4.5 | 9.9 | 7.7 |
| Jul | 20° / 14° | 38 | 5.1 | 10 | 7.6 |
| Aug | 20° / 14° | 47 | 6.9 | 10.8 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 20° / 15° | 57 | 7.6 | 11.8 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 21° / 17° | 77 | 11.3 | 12.8 | 6.3 |
| Nov | 22° / 18° | 84 | 11.6 | 13.7 | 6.3 |
| Dec | 23° / 19° | 83 | 12.5 | 14.1 | 6.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 65% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
East London gets around 118 mm of rain over 17 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 18 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early June to 11 h 18 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.2 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit East London?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit East London for general sightseeing.
What to pack for East London in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, East London sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 15°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 17 days see rain.
Sea temperature near East London in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 21°C across winter — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | Warm |
| Feb | 25 | Warm |
| Mar | 25 | Warm |
| Apr | 24 | Warm |
| May | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 21 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 20 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 22 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 23 | Refreshing |
UV index in East London in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 4 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 5 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Air quality in East London in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Good |
| May | 15 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
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.
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 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.