Mossel Bay weather in August

In August, Mossel Bay sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 47 mm of rain across 7.6 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Mossel Bay's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mossel Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
47 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:14 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
40%
5th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Mossel Bay is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,871/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical August day in Mossel Bay reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11713
21713
31713
41713
51713
61713
71713
81713
91713
101713
111713
121713
131713
141713
151713
161713
171713
181713
191713
201713
211713
221713
231713
241713
251713
261713
271713
281713
291713
301713
311713

Mossel Bay weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 19°377.5147.4
Feb22° / 20°306.713.37.4
Mar21° / 19°417.412.37.3
Apr20° / 17°436.711.26.9
May19° / 15°406.210.26.9
Jun17° / 14°376.99.86.4
Jul17° / 13°387.2106.1
Aug17° / 13°477.610.75.9
Sep17° / 14°336.511.86.1
Oct18° / 15°437.412.96.5
Nov19° / 17°527.713.86.7
Dec21° / 18°356.814.27.2

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 27%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17426
27426
37426
47426
57426
67426
77426
87426
97327
107327
117327
127327
137426
147426
157426
167327
177426
187426
197426
207426
217426
227426
237426
247426
257327
267327
277327
287228
297228
307228
317030

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Mossel Bay gets around 47 mm of rain over 7.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
322
422
522
622
722
823
923
1024
1124
1225
1325
1425
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2226
2325
2425
2525
2624
2724
2823
2923
3022
3122

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19280
29280
39280
49280
59280
69280
79280
89280
99280
109190
119190
1290100
1389110
1489110
1588120
1687130
1787130
1886140
1986140
2084151
2184151
2283161
2383161
2483161
2583161
2683161
2783161
2883161
2983161
3083161
3183161

Wind in August

Winds average 17 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 7:29 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:295:46
210.37:285:47
310.37:275:47
410.47:275:48
510.47:265:49
610.47:255:49
710.47:245:50
810.57:235:51
910.57:225:52
1010.57:215:52
1110.67:205:53
1210.67:195:54
1310.67:175:55
1410.77:165:55
1510.77:155:56
1610.77:145:57
1710.77:135:58
1810.87:125:58
1910.87:115:59
2010.87:096:00
2110.97:086:01
2210.97:076:01
2310.97:066:02
2411.07:046:03
2511.07:036:04
2611.07:026:04
2711.17:006:05
2811.16:596:06
2911.16:586:06
3011.26:566:07
3111.26:556:08

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.6 kWh/m² to a high of 7.58 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.63 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.2Moderate
43.2Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.4Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Mossel Bay?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Mossel Bay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mossel Bay in August

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

In August, Mossel Bay sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Mossel Bay in August

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 15 to Mar 18 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Mossel Bay in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mossel Bay peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 14UV 13Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mossel Bay?

Mossel Bay sits at 34.2°S, 22.1°E, 43 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Groot-Brakrivier, 17 km away.

Swellendam

Topography around Mossel Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mossel Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,504 m.

The land around Mossel Bay is covered by water (70%) within 3 km, water (69%) within 16 km, and water (35%), shrubs (27%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
175 m
16 km
336 m
80 km
1,504 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Groot-Brakrivier 17 km · George 38 km · Oudtshoorn 65 km · Dysselsdorp 73 km · Riversdale 82 km · Knysna 85 km · Plettenberg Bay 114 km · Swellendam 158 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 Mossel Bay (-34.1831°, 22.146°, elevation 43 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).