Mthatha weather in November

In November, Mthatha sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 129 mm of rain across 16.4 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in November, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 18 min at the start of November to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Mthatha's 10th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mthatha's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
8th coldest
Rainfall
129 mm
16.4 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:01 AM – 6:39 PM
Cloud cover
69%
10th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
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 November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical November day in Mthatha reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs on par with October and about 1°C cooler than December.

10°20°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12312
22312
32312
42312
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102312
112313
122313
132313
142313
152313
162313
172313
182313
192313
202313
212313
222313
232313
242313
252313
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313

Mthatha weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 5th-warmest and 4th-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43862
53862
63763
73763
83763
93763
103763
113565
123565
133565
143565
153466
163466
173367
183466
193367
203367
213268
223268
233268
243268
253268
263268
273268
283169
293169
303169

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Mthatha gets around 129 mm of rain over 16.4 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 55% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
150
250
351
451
552
652
753
853
953
1054
1154
1255
1355
1455
1555
1655
1755
1856
1956
2056
2156
2256
2356
2456
2556
2656
2757
2857
2957
3057

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the dry band about 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1563590
2553690
35436100
45337100
55237110
65138110
75038120
84939120
94839130
104739140
114639150
124539160
134439161
144339171
154339181
164239191
174138191
184138201
194138201
204138201
214038201
224038211
233939211
243939211
253840211
263740221
273641221
283542222
293442232
303343232

Wind in November

Winds average 9 km/h in November.

Across November, 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.

051015151015202530
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

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 18 min at the start of November to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 5:11 AM to 4:57 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.35:116:26
213.35:106:27
313.35:096:28
413.35:086:29
513.45:076:30
613.45:076:31
713.45:066:31
813.45:056:32
913.55:056:33
1013.55:046:34
1113.55:046:35
1213.55:036:36
1313.65:026:37
1413.65:026:37
1513.65:016:38
1613.65:016:39
1713.75:016:40
1813.75:006:41
1913.75:006:42
2013.74:596:43
2113.74:596:44
2213.84:596:44
2313.84:596:45
2413.84:586:46
2513.84:586:47
2613.84:586:48
2713.84:586:49
2813.94:586:50
2913.94:576:50
3013.94:576:51

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 5.58 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 — November's 5.58 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
Planning a trip in November

Hazard calendar for Mthatha

In seasonPeak

In November, Mthatha sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

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 November a good time to visit Mthatha?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

November is a reasonable time to visit Mthatha for sightseeing.

What to pack for Mthatha in November

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

In November, Mthatha sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Mthatha in November

The nearest coast averages about 23°C in November — 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 November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 November

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where November 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
November 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).