Polokwane weather in October

In October, Polokwane sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 46 mm of rain across 8 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of October to 12 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Polokwane's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Polokwane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
7th coldest
Rainfall
46 mm
8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:30 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.2
out of 10

Polokwane is South African city.

Density
2,550/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 27°C through the month.

A typical October day in Polokwane reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and on par with November.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12713
22714
32714
42714
52714
62714
72714
82714
92714
102714
112714
122714
132714
142714
152714
162714
172714
182714
192714
202714
212714
222715
232715
242715
252715
262715
272715
282715
292715
302715
312715

Polokwane weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°11613.713.36.0
Feb27° / 17°8810.112.86.4
Mar26° / 16°749.512.27.0
Apr24° / 13°395.411.58.0
May23° / 10°112.510.98.7
Jun20° / 40.910.68.6
Jul20° / 30.710.78.5
Aug23° / 40.911.29.1
Sep26° / 12°132.711.98.5
Oct27° / 14°46812.67.2
Nov27° / 16°9813.513.26.0
Dec27° / 17°13115.913.45.7

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 29%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18020
28020
38020
48020
57921
67822
77822
87822
97723
107723
117624
127525
137525
147426
157228
167228
177129
187030
196931
206832
216733
226634
236535
246436
256337
266238
276238
286139
296139
306139
316040

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Polokwane gets around 46 mm of rain over 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 25% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
219
319
420
520
620
721
821
921
1021
1122
1222
1322
1422
1523
1623
1724
1825
1925
2026
2127
2228
2329
2430
2531
2632
2733
2834
2935
3036
3137

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 79% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
190100
290100
389110
489110
588120
688120
788120
888120
987130
1087130
1187130
1286140
1386140
1485150
1584160
1683170
1782180
1879201
1978211
2076231
2175241
2273261
2371272
2469292
2568302
2665323
2764333
2863343
2962344
3061354
3160364

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of October to 12 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:45 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 5:58 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:455:58
212.25:435:58
312.35:425:58
412.35:415:59
512.35:405:59
612.35:396:00
712.45:386:00
812.45:376:01
912.45:376:01
1012.45:366:01
1112.55:356:02
1212.55:346:02
1312.55:336:03
1412.55:326:03
1512.55:316:04
1612.65:306:04
1712.65:296:05
1812.65:286:05
1912.65:286:06
2012.75:276:06
2112.75:266:07
2212.75:256:07
2312.75:246:08
2412.75:246:08
2512.85:236:09
2612.85:226:09
2712.85:226:10
2812.85:216:11
2912.85:206:11
3012.95:206:12
3112.95:196:12

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.61 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in January across the year — October's 6.61 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.6Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Polokwane

In seasonPeak

None of Polokwane's seasonal hazards are active in October. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Polokwane's rainy season runs November–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 Polokwane?

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

7.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Polokwane for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Polokwane in October

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

In October, Polokwane sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Polokwane 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 Polokwane peaks around January 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 14Jun 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Polokwane 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 Polokwane is worst in August — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1525 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr16Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Polokwane?

Polokwane sits at 23.9°S, 29.5°E, 1,315 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mankweng, 24 km away.

Topography around Polokwane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Polokwane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 1,293 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 393 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,561 m.

The land around Polokwane is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and shrubs (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (50%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
393 m
80 km
1,561 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
October weather nearby: Mankweng 24 km · Lebowakgomo 46 km · Mokopane 57 km · Tzaneen 71 km · Duiwelskloof 72 km · Nkowakowa 83 km · Mookgophong 102 km · Louis Trichardt 105 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 Polokwane (-23.9045°, 29.4688°, elevation 1,315 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).