Knysna in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Knysna sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 150 mm of rain over about 23 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 23°C in early March to 18°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Knysna's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Knysna's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 21°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 14°C
- Rainfall
- 150 mm
- 23 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.1
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Knysna in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 23°C in early March to 18°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Knysna reaches about 21°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
Knysna 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.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23° / 17° | 49 | 9.2 | 14 | 7.3 |
| Feb | 23° / 18° | 42 | 7.9 | 13.3 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 22° / 17° | 52 | 8.5 | 12.3 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 21° / 14° | 52 | 7.8 | 11.2 | 7.0 |
| May | 19° / 12° | 47 | 6.7 | 10.3 | 6.9 |
| Jun | 18° / 11° | 43 | 7.2 | 9.8 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 17° / 10° | 46 | 7.6 | 10 | 6.2 |
| Aug | 17° / 10° | 62 | 8.8 | 10.7 | 6.0 |
| Sep | 18° / 11° | 49 | 8.5 | 11.8 | 6.2 |
| Oct | 19° / 13° | 62 | 8.9 | 12.9 | 6.4 |
| Nov | 20° / 14° | 70 | 9.3 | 13.8 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 22° / 16° | 47 | 9.3 | 14.2 | 7.0 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Knysna gets around 150 mm of rain over 23 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 12 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early March to 9 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.2 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Knysna?
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.
fall is one of the better times to visit Knysna for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Knysna in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Knysna sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 23 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Knysna in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across fall — 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 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 21 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 20 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 18 | Cool |
| Jun | 17 | Cool |
| Jul | 17 | Cool |
| Aug | 17 | Cool |
| Sep | 17 | Cool |
| Oct | 17 | Cool |
| Nov | 18 | Cool |
| Dec | 20 | Cool |
UV index in Knysna in Fall
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 Knysna peaks around January 15 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 — in 10 months 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 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Extreme | 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 | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Where is Knysna?
Knysna sits at 34.0°S, 23.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Plettenberg Bay, 30 km away.
Topography around Knysna
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Knysna.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Knysna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 929 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,052 m.
The land around Knysna is covered by trees (41%) and water (20%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (34%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (31%) 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 Knysna (-34.0363°, 23.0471°, elevation 9 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.