Knysna weather in October

In October, Knysna sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 62 mm of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°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 Knysna's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knysna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
8th warmest
Overnight low
13°
6th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
8.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:47 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
51%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.98 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Knysna is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
631/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 19°C through the month.

A typical October day in Knysna reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11812
21812
31812
41912
51912
61912
71912
81913
91913
101913
111913
121913
131913
141913
151913
161913
171913
181913
191913
201913
211913
221913
231913
242013
252013
262013
272013
282014
292014
302014
312014

Knysna weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°499.2147.3
Feb23° / 18°427.913.37.4
Mar22° / 17°528.512.37.3
Apr21° / 14°527.811.27.0
May19° / 12°476.710.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.29.86.5
Jul17° / 10°467.6106.2
Aug17° / 10°628.810.76.0
Sep18° / 11°498.511.86.2
Oct19° / 13°628.912.96.4
Nov20° / 14°709.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°479.314.27.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55644
65644
75644
85644
95644
105644
115644
125644
135743
145644
155644
165743
175743
185743
195842
205842
215941
225941
236040
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295941
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Knysna gets around 62 mm of rain over 8.9 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 29% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
427
527
627
727
827
927
1028
1128
1228
1329
1429
1529
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

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 69% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
182171
281181
380191
479201
578211
676222
775232
875232
974242
1073243
1172253
1272253
1371263
1470264
1569274
1669274
1768275
1867285
1967285
2065296
2165296
2264306
2363307
2462317
2561327
2660328
2759338
2858348
2958348
3056359
3155369

Wind in October

Winds average 14 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light 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 6:07 AM to 5:31 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:076:27
212.46:056:28
312.46:046:28
412.46:036:29
512.56:016:30
612.56:006:31
712.65:586:31
812.65:576:32
912.65:566:33
1012.75:546:34
1112.75:536:35
1212.75:526:35
1312.85:516:36
1412.85:496:37
1512.85:486:38
1612.95:476:39
1712.95:466:40
1812.95:446:41
1913.05:436:41
2013.05:426:42
2113.05:416:43
2213.15:406:44
2313.15:396:45
2413.15:386:46
2513.25:376:47
2613.25:366:48
2713.25:356:48
2813.35:346:49
2913.35:336:50
3013.35:326:51
3113.45:316:52

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.98 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 5.98 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Intense
176.0Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.2Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Knysna?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Knysna for sightseeing.

What to pack for Knysna in October

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

In October, Knysna sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Knysna in October

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 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.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Knysna 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

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.

Humansdorp

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.

3 km
288 m
16 km
929 m
80 km
2,052 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
October weather nearby: Plettenberg Bay 30 km · George 55 km · Groot-Brakrivier 76 km · Dysselsdorp 76 km · Mossel Bay 85 km · Oudtshoorn 92 km · Kruisfontein 155 km · Humansdorp 159 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 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).