Plettenberg Bay weather in October

In October, Plettenberg Bay sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 60 mm of rain across 9.1 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Plettenberg Bay's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plettenberg Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
8th warmest
Overnight low
13°
6th coldest
Rainfall
60 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:46 AM – 6:38 PM
Cloud cover
51%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
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.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month.

A typical October day in Plettenberg Bay reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11812
21812
31812
41812
51813
61913
71913
81913
91913
101913
111913
121913
131913
141913
151913
161913
171913
181913
191913
201913
211913
221913
231913
241914
251914
261914
272014
282014
292014
302014
312014

Plettenberg Bay weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 17°488.8147.3
Feb23° / 18°428.113.37.4
Mar22° / 17°518.412.37.3
Apr21° / 15°497.711.27.0
May19° / 13°456.610.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.19.86.5
Jul17° / 10°477.6106.2
Aug17° / 11°638.910.76.0
Sep18° / 12°498.611.86.2
Oct19° / 13°609.112.96.4
Nov20° / 14°679.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°469.114.27.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in October, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35743
45743
55743
65644
75644
85644
95644
105644
115644
125644
135743
145644
155644
165743
175743
185842
195842
205842
215941
225842
235941
245941
255941
266040
276040
286040
295941
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Plettenberg Bay gets around 60 mm of rain over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
328
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1128
1229
1329
1429
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2131
2230
2330
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

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 68% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
181181
280191
379201
478211
577221
676231
775232
874242
973252
1072253
1171263
1271263
1371263
1469274
1569274
1669274
1768275
1867285
1967285
2065296
2165296
2264306
2362317
2462317
2561327
2659338
2758348
2858348
2956359
3056359
3155369

Wind in October

Winds average 15 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:05 AM to 5:29 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:51 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:056:26
212.46:046:26
312.46:036:27
412.46:016:28
512.56:006:29
612.55:596:29
712.65:576:30
812.65:566:31
912.65:546:32
1012.75:536:33
1112.75:526:33
1212.75:516:34
1312.85:496:35
1412.85:486:36
1512.85:476:37
1612.95:466:38
1712.95:446:38
1812.95:436:39
1913.05:426:40
2013.05:416:41
2113.05:406:42
2213.15:396:43
2313.15:376:44
2413.15:366:44
2513.25:356:45
2613.25:346:46
2713.25:336:47
2813.35:326:48
2913.35:316:49
3013.35:306:50
3113.45:296:51

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.96 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 — October's 5.96 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Plettenberg Bay?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Plettenberg Bay in October

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

In October, Plettenberg Bay sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Plettenberg Bay in October

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in October — 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.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Plettenberg Bay 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 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
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
16 km
521 m
80 km
1,914 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
October 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
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 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).