Port Alfred weather in August

In August, Port Alfred sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 41 mm of rain across 6.2 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% 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 Port Alfred's 3rd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Alfred's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
41 mm
6.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
6:54 AM – 5:39 PM
Cloud cover
37%
3rd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
3.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Port Alfred is place in Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Founded
1821

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical August day in Port Alfred reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22012
32012
42012
52012
62012
72012
82012
92012
102012
112012
122012
132012
142012
152012
162013
172013
182013
192013
202013
212013
222013
232013
242013
252013
262013
272013
282013
292013
302013
312013

Port Alfred weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 12th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan25° / 20°538.2147.2
Feb26° / 20°568.613.26.9
Mar25° / 19°598.812.37.3
Apr23° / 17°547.911.27.4
May22° / 15°244.810.37.8
Jun21° / 13°274.39.87.8
Jul20° / 12°274.1107.7
Aug20° / 13°416.210.87.3
Sep20° / 14°42611.87.1
Oct21° / 15°518.412.86.8
Nov22° / 17°568.913.76.9
Dec24° / 18°589.414.27.1

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 25%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37822
47822
57822
67822
77822
87723
97624
107624
117624
127624
137624
147624
157525
167525
177525
187426
197426
207426
217426
227327
237228
247228
257228
267129
277129
287030
297030
307030
316931

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Port Alfred gets around 41 mm of rain over 6.2 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 19% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
219
319
420
520
620
720
821
921
1021
1121
1220
1320
1420
1520
1619
1719
1819
1919
2018
2118
2218
2318
2418
2518
2618
2718
2818
2918
3018
3119

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19190
29190
39190
49190
59190
69190
79190
89190
99190
109190
1190100
1290100
1389110
1487121
1586131
1685141
1785141
1884151
1983161
2082171
2181181
2280191
2380191
2478202
2578202
2677212
2777212
2877212
2977212
3077212
3176222

Wind in August

Winds average 16 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light 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 7:09 AM to 6:35 AM, and sunset from 5:28 PM to 5:50 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:095:28
210.37:085:29
310.47:075:29
410.47:065:30
510.47:065:31
610.47:055:32
710.57:045:32
810.57:035:33
910.57:025:34
1010.67:015:34
1110.67:005:35
1210.66:595:36
1310.76:585:37
1410.76:575:37
1510.76:555:38
1610.76:545:39
1710.86:535:40
1810.86:525:40
1910.86:515:41
2010.96:505:42
2110.96:485:42
2210.96:475:43
2311.06:465:44
2411.06:455:45
2511.06:435:45
2611.16:425:46
2711.16:415:47
2811.16:395:47
2911.26:385:48
3011.26:375:49
3111.26:355:50

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.74 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.8Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
264.0Moderate
274.0Bright
284.0Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.1Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Port Alfred?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

August is one of the better times to visit Port Alfred for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Port Alfred in August

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

In August, Port Alfred sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 13°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 6 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Port Alfred in August

The nearest coast averages about 19°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 February at about 23°C and coldest in September near 19°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 4 to Jun 16 — about 7.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

18°20°22°24°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swimcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr22Refreshing
May21Refreshing
Jun20Refreshing
Jul19Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep19Cool
Oct19Cool
Nov21Refreshing
Dec21Refreshing

UV index in Port Alfred in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Port Alfred peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Port Alfred?

Port Alfred sits at 33.6°S, 26.9°E, 35 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Grahamstown, 45 km away.

Topography around Port Alfred

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Alfred has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 m around an average of 45 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 332 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 906 m.

The land around Port Alfred is covered by trees (39%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, water (41%), trees (33%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (36%), grassland (31%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
128 m
16 km
332 m
80 km
906 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
August weather nearby: Grahamstown 45 km · Alice 89 km · Dimbaza 89 km · Qonce 92 km · Fort Beaufort 93 km · Ndevana 95 km · Bhisho 97 km · Mdantsane 110 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 Port Alfred (-33.586°, 26.8833°, elevation 35 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).