Port Elizabeth weather in August

In August, Port Elizabeth sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 52 mm of rain across 7.9 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 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% 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 Elizabeth's 3rd-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Elizabeth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
12th warmest
Overnight low
13°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
7.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:00 AM – 5:43 PM
Cloud cover
39%
3rd clearest
Wind
19 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
3.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Port Elizabeth is city in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
569/km²
people per km²
Founded
1820

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 19°C through the month.

A typical August day in Port Elizabeth 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, August runs on par with July and on par with September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11912
21912
31912
41912
51912
61912
71912
81912
91912
101912
111912
121912
131913
141913
151913
161913
171913
181913
191913
201913
211913
221913
231913
241913
251913
261913
271913
281913
291913
301913
311913

Port Elizabeth 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 19°346.9147.8
Feb24° / 20°376.813.37.7
Mar23° / 19°447.512.37.7
Apr22° / 17°437.511.27.3
May21° / 15°386.310.37.3
Jun20° / 13°416.59.87.1
Jul19° / 12°386.4107.1
Aug19° / 13°527.910.76.8
Sep19° / 14°386.811.86.8
Oct20° / 15°487.812.96.8
Nov21° / 16°537.913.86.9
Dec23° / 18°426.914.27.5

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47624
57624
67624
77624
87525
97525
107525
117525
127426
137327
147327
157327
167426
177327
187327
197327
207327
217327
227228
237228
247228
257228
267228
277228
287228
297228
307129
317030

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Port Elizabeth gets around 52 mm of rain over 7.9 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 25% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
325
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1725
1825
1925
2025
2125
2226
2325
2425
2525
2625
2725
2824
2924
3023
3123

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19280
29280
39280
49190
59190
69190
79190
89190
99190
1090100
1190100
1289110
1389110
1487121
1586131
1686131
1785141
1885141
1984151
2084151
2183161
2283161
2382171
2482171
2582171
2682171
2782171
2882171
2982171
3082171
3182171

Wind in August

Winds average 19 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light 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 7:15 AM to 6:41 AM, and sunset from 5:32 PM to 5:54 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:155:32
210.37:145:33
310.37:135:34
410.47:125:35
510.47:115:35
610.47:105:36
710.57:095:37
810.57:085:37
910.57:075:38
1010.57:065:39
1110.67:055:40
1210.67:045:40
1310.67:035:41
1410.77:025:42
1510.77:015:43
1610.77:005:43
1710.86:595:44
1810.86:585:45
1910.86:565:46
2010.96:555:46
2110.96:545:47
2210.96:535:48
2311.06:515:49
2411.06:505:49
2511.06:495:50
2611.16:485:51
2711.16:465:51
2811.16:455:52
2911.26:445:53
3011.26:425:54
3111.26:415:54

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 2.66 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 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
23.2Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.3Moderate
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
254.0Moderate
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Port Elizabeth?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.9
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Port Elizabeth for sightseeing.

What to pack for Port Elizabeth in August

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

In August, Port Elizabeth sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 8 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Port Elizabeth 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 26 to Mar 29 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May19Cool
Jun18Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct18Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth 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 highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Port Elizabeth in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Port Elizabeth is worst in June — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (January, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1621 µg/m³Jan 249 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr14Moderate
May19Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug19Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct13Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Port Elizabeth?

Port Elizabeth sits at 34.0°S, 25.6°E, 61 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Kariega, 30 km away.

Fort Beaufort

Topography around Port Elizabeth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Port Elizabeth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 105 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,357 m.

The land around Port Elizabeth is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and water (26%) within 3 km, water (51%) within 16 km, and water (41%), grassland (26%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
105 m
16 km
285 m
80 km
1,357 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
August weather nearby: Kariega 30 km · Jeffreys Bay 65 km · Humansdorp 78 km · Kruisfontein 82 km · Grahamstown 112 km · Port Alfred 124 km · Somerset East 138 km · Fort Beaufort 162 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 Elizabeth (-33.9611°, 25.6149°, elevation 61 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. 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).