Newcastle weather in August

In August, Newcastle sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 22 mm of rain across 3.9 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Newcastle's 3rd-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newcastle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
9th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
22 mm
3.9 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:34 AM – 5:35 PM
Cloud cover
22%
3rd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.5
out of 10

Newcastle is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
5,342/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

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 24°C by the end.

A typical August day in Newcastle reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 15°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 3°C warmer than July and about 3°C cooler than September.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1216
2216
3216
4216
5226
6226
7226
8226
9227
10227
11227
12227
13227
14227
15237
16237
17237
18238
19238
20238
21238
22238
23238
24248
25248
26249
27249
28249
29249
30249
31259

Newcastle weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°14117.613.65.4
Feb27° / 16°10113.2135.9
Mar26° / 15°9911.812.26.6
Apr24° / 12°457.411.47.8
May22° / 18310.68.5
Jun20° / 102.210.38.3
Jul20° / 132.110.48.3
Aug23° / 223.9118.5
Sep26° / 11°40711.87.7
Oct26° / 13°9413.812.76.3
Nov27° / 14°12016.513.45.5
Dec27° / 15°15518.913.75.2

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 14%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
48713
58713
68713
78713
88614
98614
108515
118515
128515
138515
148515
158614
168614
178614
188614
198614
208614
218614
228614
238614
248614
258614
268515
278515
288515
298515
308515
318515

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Newcastle gets around 22 mm of rain over 3.9 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 12% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
410
511
611
711
811
911
1011
1112
1212
1312
1412
1512
1612
1712
1812
1913
2013
2113
2213
2314
2414
2514
2614
2715
2815
2915
3016
3116

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in August

Winds average 10 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 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
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:46 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 5:26 PM to 5:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.76:465:26
210.76:465:27
310.76:455:28
410.76:445:28
510.86:435:29
610.86:435:29
710.86:425:30
810.86:415:30
910.86:405:31
1010.96:405:31
1110.96:395:32
1210.96:385:32
1310.96:375:33
1411.06:365:33
1511.06:355:34
1611.06:345:35
1711.06:335:35
1811.16:325:36
1911.16:315:36
2011.16:305:37
2111.16:295:37
2211.26:285:38
2311.26:275:38
2411.26:265:39
2511.26:255:39
2611.36:245:40
2711.36:235:40
2811.36:225:41
2911.36:215:41
3011.46:205:42
3111.46:195:42

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 4.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 4.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.5Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.6Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Newcastle

In seasonPeak

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

Newcastle's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Newcastle?

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

8.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Newcastle for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Newcastle in August

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

In August, Newcastle sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: light clothes, a warm layer and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothesa warm layersun protection

UV index in Newcastle in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Newcastle peaks around January 15 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7High
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Newcastle 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 Newcastle is worst in September — around 54 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 5.0× the cleanest month (January, 11 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModeratePoorModerateSep 1252 µg/m³Jan 1311 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May27Moderate
Jun30Moderate
Jul35Moderate
Aug44Poor
Sep54Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Newcastle?

Newcastle sits at 27.8°S, 29.9°E, 1,195 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Volksrust, 44 km away.

Topography around Newcastle

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Newcastle has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 76 m around an average of 1,205 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 833 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,427 m.

The land around Newcastle is covered by grassland (53%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, grassland (77%) within 16 km, and grassland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
76 m
16 km
833 m
80 km
1,427 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
August weather nearby: Volksrust 44 km · Glencoe 51 km · Dundee 54 km · Daggakraal 70 km · Mondlo 81 km · Vrede 84 km · Vryheid 85 km · Ladysmith 90 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 Newcastle (-27.758°, 29.9318°, elevation 1,195 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. 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).