Pietermaritzburg weather in October

In October, Pietermaritzburg sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 92 mm of rain across 15.4 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-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 23% 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 Pietermaritzburg's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pietermaritzburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
8th warmest
Overnight low
13°
6th coldest
Rainfall
92 mm
15.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:22 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
67%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.91 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Pietermaritzburg is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
6,661/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 Pietermaritzburg reaches about 24°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 32°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12412
22412
32412
42412
52412
62412
72413
82413
92413
102413
112413
122413
132413
142413
152413
162413
172413
182413
192413
202413
212413
222413
232413
242413
252413
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312414

Pietermaritzburg weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°1341813.75.3
Feb27° / 17°11314.913.15.5
Mar26° / 16°9614.312.26.1
Apr24° / 14°589.711.37.1
May23° / 10°295.110.58.1
Jun21° / 203.410.18.2
Jul21° / 293.810.38.1
Aug23° / 325.910.97.9
Sep24° / 12°569.511.87.2
Oct24° / 13°9215.412.76.1
Nov25° / 14°11617.213.55.5
Dec26° / 16°12919.213.95.2

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24654
34456
44456
54357
64357
74159
84060
94060
103961
113862
123862
133763
143664
153763
163763
173565
183565
193565
203565
213466
223466
233466
243367
253367
263367
273367
283367
293268
303268
313268

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Pietermaritzburg gets around 92 mm of rain over 15.4 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 48% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
243
344
445
545
646
746
847
947
1047
1147
1247
1347
1447
1547
1647
1747
1848
1948
2049
2149
2250
2351
2452
2552
2653
2753
2854
2954
3054
3154

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1663220
2663220
3653320
4633430
5623530
6603640
7603640
8583750
9583750
10563860
11563860
12543970
13533980
14533980
15514090
165040100
174940110
184841110
194641120
204542130
214442140
224242150
234143161
243943171
253843181
263744191
273544201
283444211
293344221
303244221
313244231

Wind in October

Winds average 8 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:39 AM to 5:08 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:395:56
212.35:385:56
312.35:365:57
412.45:355:58
512.45:345:58
612.45:335:59
712.55:325:59
812.55:316:00
912.55:296:01
1012.65:286:01
1112.65:276:02
1212.65:266:03
1312.65:256:03
1412.75:246:04
1512.75:236:05
1612.75:226:05
1712.85:216:06
1812.85:206:07
1912.85:196:07
2012.85:186:08
2112.95:176:09
2212.95:166:09
2312.95:156:10
2413.05:146:11
2513.05:136:12
2613.05:126:12
2713.05:116:13
2813.15:106:14
2913.15:096:15
3013.15:096:15
3113.15:086:16

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.91 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in January across the year — October's 4.91 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Pietermaritzburg

In seasonPeak

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

Pietermaritzburg'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 Pietermaritzburg?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Pietermaritzburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pietermaritzburg in October

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

In October, Pietermaritzburg sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 15 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Pietermaritzburg in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 Pietermaritzburg peaks around January 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg is worst in July — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1399 µg/m³Jan 1222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar42Poor
Apr60Unhealthy
May91Unhealthy
Jun92Unhealthy
Jul100Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pietermaritzburg?

Pietermaritzburg sits at 29.6°S, 30.4°E, 636 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mpophomeni, 21 km away.

Topography around Pietermaritzburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pietermaritzburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 653 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,321 m.

The land around Pietermaritzburg is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
1,026 m
80 km
2,321 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Mpophomeni 21 km · Howick 22 km · Richmond 31 km · Mpumalanga 32 km · Pinetown 53 km · Ntuzuma 55 km · Folweni 58 km · Mooi River 60 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 Pietermaritzburg (-29.6168°, 30.3928°, elevation 636 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).