Mthatha weather in August

In August, Mthatha sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 32 mm of precipitation across 5.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of August to 11 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Mthatha's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mthatha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
32 mm
5.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:44 AM – 5:34 PM
Cloud cover
35%
3rd clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.03 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
out of 10

Mthatha is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,999/km²
people per km²
Founded
1876

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical August day in Mthatha reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and about 1°C cooler than September.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1217
2217
3217
4217
5217
6217
7217
8217
9217
10217
11217
12217
13217
14217
15217
16218
17218
18218
19218
20218
21228
22228
23228
24228
25228
26228
27229
28229
29229
30229
31229

Mthatha weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 16°14518.813.85.3
Feb26° / 16°13115.913.25.5
Mar25° / 15°12016.212.26.0
Apr23° / 12°769.911.26.9
May22° / 27510.47.8
Jun20° / 243.3107.9
Jul20° / 223.210.17.9
Aug21° / 325.510.87.7
Sep23° / 10°568.411.87.1
Oct23° / 11°9614.912.86.0
Nov23° / 13°12916.413.65.7
Dec24° / 14°14018.5145.5

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 61% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37822
47822
57822
67822
77723
87723
97723
107723
117723
127624
137624
147624
157624
167525
177525
187525
197525
207327
217327
227327
237228
247228
257228
267129
277129
287129
297129
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Mthatha gets around 32 mm of rain and snow over 5.5 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 17% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
115
215
315
415
515
616
716
816
917
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2118
2218
2318
2418
2519
2619
2719
2820
2920
3021
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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
20991
21991
22991
23991
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31973

Wind in August

Winds average 9 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 min at the start of August to 11 h 18 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 6:58 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 5:24 PM to 5:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.46:585:24
210.56:575:25
310.56:565:25
410.56:555:26
510.56:545:27
610.66:545:27
710.66:535:28
810.66:525:29
910.66:515:29
1010.76:505:30
1110.76:495:31
1210.76:485:31
1310.86:475:32
1410.86:465:33
1510.86:455:33
1610.86:445:34
1710.96:435:35
1810.96:425:35
1910.96:415:36
2011.06:395:37
2111.06:385:37
2211.06:375:38
2311.06:365:39
2411.16:355:39
2511.16:345:40
2611.16:325:40
2711.26:315:41
2811.26:305:42
2911.26:295:42
3011.36:275:43
3111.36:265:44

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.03 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.14 kWh/m² to a high of 5.68 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4.03 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Mthatha

In seasonPeak

None of Mthatha's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Mthatha's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is August a good time to visit Mthatha?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Mthatha for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Mthatha in August

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

In August, Mthatha sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Mthatha in August

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 64 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mthatha in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Mthatha peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 22UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr7High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Mthatha in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Mthatha is worst in August — around 34 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1633 µg/m³Dec 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Good
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug34Moderate
Sep24Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Mthatha?

Mthatha sits at 31.6°S, 28.8°E, 694 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Ugie, 68 km away.

Qacha’s Nek

Topography around Mthatha

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mthatha has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 m around an average of 706 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,012 m.

The land around Mthatha is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and grassland (35%) within 3 km, grassland (55%) and cropland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
164 m
16 km
688 m
80 km
2,012 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Ugie 68 km · Khowa 93 km · Butterworth 102 km · Tlokoeng 103 km · Cala 103 km · Kokstad 131 km · Lady Frere 147 km · Qacha’s Nek 164 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 Mthatha (-31.5889°, 28.7844°, elevation 694 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).