Knysna in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), Knysna sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 181 mm of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early September to 21°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Knysna's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Knysna's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 13°C
- Rainfall
- 181 mm
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.4
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Knysna in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early September to 21°C by late November.
A typical spring day in Knysna reaches about 19°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
Knysna weather by month
How the three spring months (September, October and November) 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 Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Knysna gets around 181 mm of rain over 27 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 14 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min in early September to 14 h 06 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.9 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Knysna?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Knysna for sightseeing.
What to pack for Knysna in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Knysna sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Knysna in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 17°C across spring — 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 Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 9 (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.
| 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.