Ficksburg weather in October

In October, Ficksburg sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 100 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Ficksburg's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ficksburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
100 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:32 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Ficksburg is town in the Free State, South Africa.

Density
849/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 24°C through the month.

A typical October day in Ficksburg reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1238
2238
3238
4238
5238
6239
7249
8249
9249
10249
11249
12249
13249
14249
15249
16249
172410
182410
192410
202410
212410
222410
232410
242410
252410
262410
272410
282410
292410
302410
312410

How October really feels in Ficksburg

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Ficksburg weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°15216.613.65.9
Feb25° / 14°11213.6136.2
Mar24° / 12°11113.312.26.7
Apr21° / 708.811.37.0
May19° / 334.210.67.4
Jun16° / -0°172.410.26.5
Jul16° / -1°91.710.36.6
Aug19° / 253.7117.6
Sep22° / 274.211.88.2
Oct24° / 10010.712.77.2
Nov25° / 11°13812.813.46.6
Dec26° / 13°16016.613.86.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17525
27525
37525
47525
57525
67525
77426
87327
97327
107228
117129
127129
137030
146931
156931
166832
176832
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266733
276733
286733
296733
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Ficksburg gets around 100 mm of rain over 10.7 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 34% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
223
323
424
525
626
727
828
929
1030
1131
1232
1333
1434
1535
1636
1736
1837
1938
2038
2139
2239
2339
2440
2540
2640
2740
2839
2939
3039
3140

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29964
30964
31964

Wind in October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 6:06 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:496:06
212.35:486:06
312.35:476:07
412.45:466:07
512.45:456:08
612.45:436:09
712.45:426:09
812.55:416:10
912.55:406:10
1012.55:396:11
1112.65:386:12
1212.65:376:12
1312.65:366:13
1412.65:346:13
1512.75:336:14
1612.75:326:15
1712.75:316:15
1812.85:306:16
1912.85:296:17
2012.85:286:17
2112.85:276:18
2212.95:266:19
2312.95:266:19
2412.95:256:20
2513.05:246:21
2613.05:236:22
2713.05:226:22
2813.05:216:23
2913.15:206:24
3013.15:206:24
3113.15:196:25

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 7.34 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 6.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Ficksburg

In seasonPeak

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

Ficksburg's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is October a good time to visit Ficksburg?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Ficksburg for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Ficksburg in October

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

In October, Ficksburg sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 9°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Ficksburg in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ficksburg peaks around January 14 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 15Jun 22UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Ficksburg 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 Ficksburg is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1222 µg/m³Dec 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul22Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep20Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ficksburg?

Ficksburg sits at 28.9°S, 27.9°E, 1,598 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Maputsoe, 3.0 km away.

Topography around Ficksburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ficksburg has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 323 m around an average of 1,642 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 396 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,909 m.

The land around Ficksburg is covered by grassland (55%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and cropland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (69%) and cropland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
323 m
16 km
396 m
80 km
1,909 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
October weather nearby: Maputsoe 3.0 km · Hlotse 17 km · Hlohlolwane 30 km · Teyateyaneng 33 km · Butha-Buthe 38 km · Fouriesburg 43 km · Marquard 49 km · Ladybrand 54 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 Ficksburg (-28.872°, 27.8751°, elevation 1,598 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. 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).