Plettenberg Bay weather in August

In August, Plettenberg Bay sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 63 mm of rain across 8.9 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Plettenberg Bay's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plettenberg Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 17°; 12th warmest
Overnight low: 11°; 2nd coldest
Rainfall: 63 mm; 8.9 wet days
Daylight: 10 h 42 min; 7:09 AM – 5:52 PM
Cloud cover: 41%; 3rd clearest
Wind: 14 km/h; 5th windiest
Solar energy: 3.67 kWh/m²
Travel score: 6.0; out of 10

Plettenberg Bay is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Founded: 1779

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← July Plettenberg Bay year-round climate September →Best places to visit in August

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical August day in Plettenberg Bay reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	18	18
Avg low (°C)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	17	10
2	17	10
3	17	10
4	17	10
5	17	10
6	17	10
7	17	10
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	10
11	17	10
12	17	10
13	17	10
14	17	10
15	17	11
16	17	11
17	17	11
18	17	11
19	17	11
20	17	11
21	17	11
22	17	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	18	11
31	18	11

Plettenberg Bay weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 12th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	23° / 17°	48	8.8	14	7.3
Feb	23° / 18°	42	8.1	13.3	7.4
Mar	22° / 17°	51	8.4	12.3	7.3
Apr	21° / 15°	49	7.7	11.2	7.0
May	19° / 13°	45	6.6	10.3	6.9
Jun	18° / 11°	43	7.1	9.8	6.5
Jul	17° / 10°	47	7.6	10	6.2
Aug	17° / 11°	63	8.9	10.7	6.0
Sep	18° / 12°	49	8.6	11.8	6.2
Oct	19° / 13°	60	9.1	12.9	6.4
Nov	20° / 14°	67	9.3	13.8	6.6
Dec	22° / 16°	46	9.1	14.2	7.0

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	73	73	72	72	73	73	73	73	73	73	73	73	72	72	72	72	71	71	72	71	71	71	70	70	70	69	69	69	68	68	68
Cloudier (%)	27	27	28	28	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	27	28	28	28	28	29	29	28	29	29	29	30	30	30	31	31	31	32	32	32

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	73	27
2	73	27
3	72	28
4	72	28
5	73	27
6	73	27
7	73	27
8	73	27
9	73	27
10	73	27
11	73	27
12	73	27
13	72	28
14	72	28
15	72	28
16	72	28
17	71	29
18	71	29
19	72	28
20	71	29
21	71	29
22	71	29
23	70	30
24	70	30
25	70	30
26	69	31
27	69	31
28	69	31
29	68	32
30	68	32
31	68	32

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Plettenberg Bay gets around 63 mm of rain over 8.9 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 28% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	26	26	25	25	25	26	26	26	27	27	27	28	28	29	29	30	30	30	31	31	31	31	30	30	30	29	29	29	28	28	28

	Rain chance (%)
1	26
2	26
3	25
4	25
5	25
6	26
7	26
8	26
9	27
10	27
11	27
12	28
13	28
14	29
15	29
16	30
17	30
18	30
19	31
20	31
21	31
22	31
23	30
24	30
25	30
26	29
27	29
28	29
29	28
30	28
31	28

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	99	99	99	99	99	99	98	98	98	98	97	97	97	96	96	96	96	96	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	95	96
Comfortable (%)	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	4

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	99	1
4	99	1
5	99	1
6	99	1
7	99	1
8	99	1
9	98	2
10	98	2
11	98	2
12	98	2
13	97	3
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	96	4
17	96	4
18	96	4
19	96	4
20	96	4
21	95	5
22	95	5
23	95	5
24	95	5
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	95	5
28	95	5
29	95	5
30	95	5
31	96	4

Wind in August

Winds average 14 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	14	light breeze
2	14	light breeze
3	14	light breeze
4	14	light breeze
5	14	light breeze
6	14	light breeze
7	14	light breeze
8	14	light breeze
9	14	light breeze
10	14	light breeze
11	14	light breeze
12	14	light breeze
13	14	light breeze
14	14	light breeze
15	14	light breeze
16	14	light breeze
17	14	light breeze
18	14	light breeze
19	14	light breeze
20	14	light breeze
21	14	light breeze
22	14	light breeze
23	14	light breeze
24	14	light breeze
25	14	light breeze
26	14	light breeze
27	14	light breeze
28	14	light breeze
29	14	light breeze
30	14	light breeze
31	14	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 7:24 AM to 6:50 AM, and sunset from 5:41 PM to 6:03 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	10.3	10.3	10.3	10.4	10.4	10.4	10.4	10.5	10.5	10.5	10.6	10.6	10.6	10.7	10.7	10.7	10.8	10.8	10.8	10.8	10.9	10.9	10.9	11.0	11.0	11.0	11.1	11.1	11.2	11.2	11.2
Sunrise (AM)	7:24	7:23	7:22	7:21	7:20	7:20	7:19	7:18	7:17	7:16	7:15	7:13	7:12	7:11	7:10	7:09	7:08	7:07	7:05	7:04	7:03	7:02	7:01	6:59	6:58	6:57	6:55	6:54	6:53	6:51	6:50
Sunset (PM)	5:41	5:42	5:43	5:43	5:44	5:45	5:46	5:46	5:47	5:48	5:49	5:49	5:50	5:51	5:51	5:52	5:53	5:54	5:54	5:55	5:56	5:57	5:57	5:58	5:59	6:00	6:00	6:01	6:02	6:02	6:03

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	10.3	7:24	5:41
2	10.3	7:23	5:42
3	10.3	7:22	5:43
4	10.4	7:21	5:43
5	10.4	7:20	5:44
6	10.4	7:20	5:45
7	10.4	7:19	5:46
8	10.5	7:18	5:46
9	10.5	7:17	5:47
10	10.5	7:16	5:48
11	10.6	7:15	5:49
12	10.6	7:13	5:49
13	10.6	7:12	5:50
14	10.7	7:11	5:51
15	10.7	7:10	5:51
16	10.7	7:09	5:52
17	10.8	7:08	5:53
18	10.8	7:07	5:54
19	10.8	7:05	5:54
20	10.8	7:04	5:55
21	10.9	7:03	5:56
22	10.9	7:02	5:57
23	10.9	7:01	5:57
24	11.0	6:59	5:58
25	11.0	6:58	5:59
26	11.0	6:57	6:00
27	11.1	6:55	6:00
28	11.1	6:54	6:01
29	11.2	6:53	6:02
30	11.2	6:51	6:02
31	11.2	6:50	6:03

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.44 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.2	3.2	3.3	3.3	3.3	3.4	3.4	3.4	3.4	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.8	3.8	3.8	3.9	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.1	4.2	4.2
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.2	Moderate
2	3.2	Moderate
3	3.3	Moderate
4	3.3	Moderate
5	3.3	Moderate
6	3.4	Moderate
7	3.4	Moderate
8	3.4	Moderate
9	3.4	Moderate
10	3.5	Moderate
11	3.5	Moderate
12	3.5	Moderate
13	3.6	Moderate
14	3.6	Moderate
15	3.6	Moderate
16	3.7	Moderate
17	3.7	Moderate
18	3.7	Moderate
19	3.8	Moderate
20	3.8	Moderate
21	3.8	Moderate
22	3.9	Moderate
23	3.9	Moderate
24	3.9	Moderate
25	4.0	Moderate
26	4.0	Bright
27	4.0	Bright
28	4.1	Bright
29	4.1	Bright
30	4.2	Bright
31	4.2	Bright

Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Plettenberg Bay?

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

6.0

Sightseeing

12th-best month of the year

1.5

Beach & pool

12th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Plettenberg Bay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Plettenberg Bay in August

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

In August, Plettenberg Bay sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Plettenberg Bay in August

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	21	21	20	19	18	17	17	17	17	17	18	20
Comfort	Refreshing	Refreshing	Refreshing	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool	Cool

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	21	Refreshing
Feb	21	Refreshing
Mar	20	Refreshing
Apr	19	Cool
May	18	Cool
Jun	17	Cool
Jul	17	Cool
Aug	17	Cool
Sep	17	Cool
Oct	17	Cool
Nov	18	Cool
Dec	20	Cool

UV index in Plettenberg Bay in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Plettenberg Bay peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	13	11	9	6	4	3	3	4	6	10	11	12
Level	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	High	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	13	Extreme
Feb	11	Extreme
Mar	9	Very high
Apr	6	High
May	4	Moderate
Jun	3	Moderate
Jul	3	Moderate
Aug	4	Moderate
Sep	6	High
Oct	10	Extreme
Nov	11	Extreme
Dec	12	Extreme

Location & terrain

Where is Plettenberg Bay?

Plettenberg Bay sits at 34.1°S, 23.4°E, 77 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Knysna, 30 km away.

Topography around Plettenberg Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Plettenberg Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 521 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,914 m.

The land around Plettenberg Bay is covered by water (36%), trees (25%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, water (49%) and trees (30%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (33%) within 80 km.

3 km

174 m

water 36%

16 km

521 m

water 49%

80 km

1,914 m

water 36%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland

← July Plettenberg Bay year-round climate September →Best places to visit in August

August weather nearby: Knysna 30 km · George 84 km · Dysselsdorp 101 km · Groot-Brakrivier 106 km · Mossel Bay 114 km · Oudtshoorn 119 km · Kruisfontein 125 km · Humansdorp 129 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

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 Plettenberg Bay (-34.0527°, 23.3716°, elevation 77 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	17	10
2	17	10
3	17	10
4	17	10
5	17	10
6	17	10
7	17	10
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	10
11	17	10
12	17	10
13	17	10
14	17	10
15	17	11
16	17	11
17	17	11
18	17	11
19	17	11
20	17	11
21	17	11
22	17	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	18	11
31	18	11

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	73	27
2	73	27
3	72	28
4	72	28
5	73	27
6	73	27
7	73	27
8	73	27
9	73	27
10	73	27
11	73	27
12	73	27
13	72	28
14	72	28
15	72	28
16	72	28
17	71	29
18	71	29
19	72	28
20	71	29
21	71	29
22	71	29
23	70	30
24	70	30
25	70	30
26	69	31
27	69	31
28	69	31
29	68	32
30	68	32
31	68	32

	Rain chance (%)
1	26
2	26
3	25
4	25
5	25
6	26
7	26
8	26
9	27
10	27
11	27
12	28
13	28
14	29
15	29
16	30
17	30
18	30
19	31
20	31
21	31
22	31
23	30
24	30
25	30
26	29
27	29
28	29
29	28
30	28
31	28

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	99	1
4	99	1
5	99	1
6	99	1
7	99	1
8	99	1
9	98	2
10	98	2
11	98	2
12	98	2
13	97	3
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	96	4
17	96	4
18	96	4
19	96	4
20	96	4
21	95	5
22	95	5
23	95	5
24	95	5
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	95	5
28	95	5
29	95	5
30	95	5
31	96	4

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	17	10
2	17	10
3	17	10
4	17	10
5	17	10
6	17	10
7	17	10
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	10
11	17	10
12	17	10
13	17	10
14	17	10
15	17	11
16	17	11
17	17	11
18	17	11
19	17	11
20	17	11
21	17	11
22	17	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	18	11
31	18	11

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	73	27
2	73	27
3	72	28
4	72	28
5	73	27
6	73	27
7	73	27
8	73	27
9	73	27
10	73	27
11	73	27
12	73	27
13	72	28
14	72	28
15	72	28
16	72	28
17	71	29
18	71	29
19	72	28
20	71	29
21	71	29
22	71	29
23	70	30
24	70	30
25	70	30
26	69	31
27	69	31
28	69	31
29	68	32
30	68	32
31	68	32

	Rain chance (%)
1	26
2	26
3	25
4	25
5	25
6	26
7	26
8	26
9	27
10	27
11	27
12	28
13	28
14	29
15	29
16	30
17	30
18	30
19	31
20	31
21	31
22	31
23	30
24	30
25	30
26	29
27	29
28	29
29	28
30	28
31	28

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	99	1
4	99	1
5	99	1
6	99	1
7	99	1
8	99	1
9	98	2
10	98	2
11	98	2
12	98	2
13	97	3
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	96	4
17	96	4
18	96	4
19	96	4
20	96	4
21	95	5
22	95	5
23	95	5
24	95	5
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	95	5
28	95	5
29	95	5
30	95	5
31	96	4

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	17	10
2	17	10
3	17	10
4	17	10
5	17	10
6	17	10
7	17	10
8	17	10
9	17	10
10	17	10
11	17	10
12	17	10
13	17	10
14	17	10
15	17	11
16	17	11
17	17	11
18	17	11
19	17	11
20	17	11
21	17	11
22	17	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	18	11
31	18	11

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	73	27
2	73	27
3	72	28
4	72	28
5	73	27
6	73	27
7	73	27
8	73	27
9	73	27
10	73	27
11	73	27
12	73	27
13	72	28
14	72	28
15	72	28
16	72	28
17	71	29
18	71	29
19	72	28
20	71	29
21	71	29
22	71	29
23	70	30
24	70	30
25	70	30
26	69	31
27	69	31
28	69	31
29	68	32
30	68	32
31	68	32

	Rain chance (%)
1	26
2	26
3	25
4	25
5	25
6	26
7	26
8	26
9	27
10	27
11	27
12	28
13	28
14	29
15	29
16	30
17	30
18	30
19	31
20	31
21	31
22	31
23	30
24	30
25	30
26	29
27	29
28	29
29	28
30	28
31	28

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	100	0
2	100	0
3	99	1
4	99	1
5	99	1
6	99	1
7	99	1
8	99	1
9	98	2
10	98	2
11	98	2
12	98	2
13	97	3
14	97	3
15	97	3
16	96	4
17	96	4
18	96	4
19	96	4
20	96	4
21	95	5
22	95	5
23	95	5
24	95	5
25	95	5
26	95	5
27	95	5
28	95	5
29	95	5
30	95	5
31	96	4