Hermanus weather in October

In October, Hermanus sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 40 mm of rain across 7.1 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Hermanus's 10th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hermanus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
7th warmest
Overnight low
14°
6th coldest
Rainfall
40 mm
7.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
6:02 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
49%
10th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Hermanus is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,329/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 18°C through the month.

A typical October day in Hermanus reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11713
21713
31713
41713
51713
61714
71814
81814
91814
101814
111814
121814
131814
141814
151814
161814
171814
181814
191814
201814
211814
221814
231815
241815
251815
261915
271915
281915
291915
301915
311915

Hermanus weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 18°224.9147.9
Feb22° / 19°215.313.37.9
Mar21° / 18°275.912.37.5
Apr20° / 16°426.411.26.9
May18° / 14°528.210.26.3
Jun16° / 12°8410.29.75.3
Jul16° / 12°859.79.95.1
Aug16° / 12°7310.510.75.0
Sep16° / 13°488.411.85.5
Oct18° / 14°407.112.96.4
Nov19° / 16°386.413.86.9
Dec21° / 17°245.114.37.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36040
46040
56040
66040
76040
86040
96040
106139
116139
126139
136040
146040
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216139
226238
236238
246238
256238
266337
276337
286337
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Hermanus gets around 40 mm of rain over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
424
523
623
722
822
922
1022
1122
1222
1323
1423
1523
1623
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2523
2623
2723
2823
2922
3022
3122

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 67% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
180200
279210
378220
477230
576240
675250
774260
873270
971281
1071281
1170291
1269301
1369301
1468311
1567312
1666322
1765332
1865332
1963343
2063343
2162353
2261354
2360364
2460364
2559374
2659374
2758384
2857385
2957385
3057385
3157385

Wind in October

Winds average 19 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:22 AM to 5:45 AM, and sunset from 6:42 PM to 7:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:226:42
212.46:206:43
312.46:196:44
412.46:186:45
512.56:166:45
612.56:156:46
712.66:136:47
812.66:126:48
912.66:116:49
1012.76:096:49
1112.76:086:50
1212.76:076:51
1312.86:066:52
1412.86:046:53
1512.86:036:54
1612.96:026:54
1712.96:016:55
1812.95:596:56
1913.05:586:57
2013.05:576:58
2113.15:566:59
2213.15:557:00
2313.15:547:01
2413.25:527:01
2513.25:517:02
2613.25:507:03
2713.25:497:04
2813.35:487:05
2913.35:477:06
3013.35:467:07
3113.45:457:08

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.76 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 6.06 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
136.0Bright
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Hermanus?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Hermanus for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hermanus in October

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

In October, Hermanus sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Hermanus in October

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 January at about 19°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr16Cool
May16Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Hermanus 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 Hermanus 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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Hermanus 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 Hermanus is worst in June — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.6× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodJun 1718 µg/m³Nov 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb8Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May16Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hermanus?

Hermanus sits at 34.4°S, 19.2°E, 27 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Gansbaai, 21 km away.

Topography around Hermanus

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hermanus has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 314 m around an average of 50 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,155 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,973 m.

The land around Hermanus is covered by water (37%), grassland (20%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, water (49%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
314 m
16 km
1,155 m
80 km
1,973 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Gansbaai 21 km · Caledon 27 km · Grabouw 36 km · Somerset West 53 km · Franschhoek 57 km · Le Roux 60 km · Stellenbosch 64 km · Kuils River 72 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 Hermanus (-34.4187°, 19.2345°, elevation 27 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. 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).