Piet Retief weather in October

In October, Piet Retief sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 96 mm of rain across 13.4 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Piet Retief's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Piet Retief's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
12°
7th coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:22 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
57%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.45 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Piet Retief is town.

Founded
1882

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 24°C through the month.

A typical October day in Piet Retief reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 31°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)
12411
22411
32411
42411
52411
62411
72411
82411
92412
102412
112412
122412
132412
142412
152412
162412
172412
182412
192412
202412
212412
222412
232412
242412
252413
262413
272413
282413
292513
302513
312513

Piet Retief 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
Jan26° / 16°14418.213.55.5
Feb26° / 16°11613.9135.9
Mar25° / 14°10413.512.26.6
Apr23° / 12°487.711.47.5
May21° / 183.310.78.2
Jun20° / 112.210.38.1
Jul20° / 12210.58.1
Aug22° / 213.6118.3
Sep24° / 10°38711.87.8
Oct24° / 12°9613.412.66.5
Nov25° / 14°13116.913.35.6
Dec26° / 15°15519.413.75.3

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
35842
45644
55644
65545
75446
85347
95347
105248
115149
125050
135050
144951
154951
164852
174852
184852
194852
204753
214654
224852
234753
244852
254852
264852
274852
284951
294852
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Piet Retief gets around 96 mm of rain over 13.4 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 43% and peaks near 51% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
232
333
434
534
635
736
836
937
1038
1139
1240
1340
1441
1542
1643
1744
1845
1946
2047
2148
2248
2349
2450
2551
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

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 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
184160
283170
382180
481190
580200
679210
778220
876231
975241
1075241
1174251
1273261
1372271
1471281
1570291
1669301
1768311
1866331
1964351
2061372
2160382
2258402
2356422
2454442
2552453
2651463
2749473
2848484
2947494
3046495
3145496

Wind in October

Winds average 9 km/h in October.

Across October, 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
110calm
210calm
310calm
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 October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 42 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:38 AM to 5:10 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:385:53
212.35:375:54
312.35:365:54
412.35:355:55
512.45:345:55
612.45:335:56
712.45:315:56
812.45:305:57
912.55:295:57
1012.55:285:58
1112.55:275:59
1212.55:265:59
1312.65:256:00
1412.65:246:00
1512.65:236:01
1612.75:226:01
1712.75:216:02
1812.75:206:03
1912.75:196:03
2012.85:186:04
2112.85:186:04
2212.85:176:05
2312.85:166:06
2412.95:156:06
2512.95:146:07
2612.95:136:08
2712.95:136:08
2813.05:126:09
2913.05:116:10
3013.05:106:10
3113.05:106:11

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.45 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 5.45 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.4Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.7Bright
315.7Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Piet Retief

In seasonPeak

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

Piet Retief'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 Piet Retief?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.6
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Piet Retief for sightseeing.

What to pack for Piet Retief in October

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

In October, Piet Retief sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Piet Retief in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Piet Retief peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 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 14Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Piet Retief 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 Piet Retief is worst in May — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 19 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateMay 1754 µg/m³Dec 2319 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr38Poor
May56Unhealthy
Jun38Poor
Jul36Poor
Aug30Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Piet Retief?

Piet Retief sits at 27.0°S, 30.8°E, 1,251 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Driefontein, 38 km away.

Topography around Piet Retief

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Piet Retief has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m around an average of 1,272 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,004 m.

The land around Piet Retief is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, grassland (43%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
195 m
16 km
452 m
80 km
2,004 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
October weather nearby: Driefontein 38 km · Frischgewaagd 45 km · Fernie 69 km · Lobamba 71 km · Empuluzu 78 km · Manzini 80 km · Redhill 83 km · Mbabane 83 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 Piet Retief (-27.0071°, 30.8132°, elevation 1,251 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).