Newcastle weather in October

In October, Newcastle sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 94 mm of rain across 13.8 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Newcastle's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Newcastle's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
13°
7th coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
13.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:25 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
51%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical October day in Newcastle reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12612
22612
32612
42612
52612
62612
72612
82612
92612
102612
112612
122612
132612
142612
152612
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222613
232613
242613
252613
262613
272613
282613
292613
302713
312713

Newcastle weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 6th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26733
36733
46634
56535
66535
76535
86436
96337
106238
116238
126139
136139
145941
155941
165842
175941
185842
195842
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255842
265941
275941
285941
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Newcastle gets around 94 mm of rain over 13.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 44% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
236
336
437
538
638
739
840
940
1041
1141
1242
1343
1443
1544
1644
1745
1845
1946
2046
2147
2248
2348
2449
2549
2649
2749
2849
2950
3050
3150

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19550
29550
39460
49370
59370
69280
79190
890100
989110
1088120
1188120
1287130
1386140
1485150
1584160
1683170
1782180
1881190
1980200
2079210
2178220
2277230
2376240
2475250
2574260
2673270
2772280
2870291
2969301
3069301
3168311

Wind in October

Winds average 10 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 10 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
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 October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:41 AM to 5:12 AM, and sunset from 5:57 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:415:57
212.35:405:58
312.35:395:58
412.35:385:59
512.45:375:59
612.45:366:00
712.45:356:00
812.55:336:01
912.55:326:01
1012.55:316:02
1112.55:306:03
1212.65:296:03
1312.65:286:04
1412.65:276:04
1512.65:266:05
1612.75:256:06
1712.75:246:06
1812.75:236:07
1912.85:226:07
2012.85:216:08
2112.85:206:09
2212.85:196:09
2312.95:196:10
2412.95:186:11
2512.95:176:11
2612.95:166:12
2713.05:156:13
2813.05:146:13
2913.05:146:14
3013.05:136:15
3113.15:126:15

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.91 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 — October's 5.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
195.9Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Intense
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.1Intense
276.1Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Newcastle

In seasonPeak

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

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 October a good time to visit Newcastle?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Newcastle for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Newcastle in October

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

In October, Newcastle sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Newcastle in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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