Port Elizabeth weather in October

In October, Port Elizabeth sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 48 mm of rain across 7.8 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 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 Port Elizabeth's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Port Elizabeth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
8th warmest
Overnight low
15°
6th coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
7.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:37 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
51%
12th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.82 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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical October day in Port Elizabeth reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 24°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)
12014
22014
32014
42014
52015
62015
72015
82015
92015
102015
112015
122015
132015
142015
152015
162015
172015
182015
192015
202015
212015
222015
232015
242015
252015
262116
272116
282116
292116
302116
312116

Port Elizabeth 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
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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in October, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16139
26139
36139
46139
56040
66040
76040
86139
96139
106139
116238
126238
136139
146238
156337
166337
176238
186337
196337
206436
216337
226337
236337
246337
256238
266337
276238
286238
296139
306139
316040

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Port Elizabeth gets around 48 mm of rain over 7.8 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 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1725
1825
1925
2025
2125
2225
2325
2425
2525
2625
2725
2825
2925
3025
3125

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 47% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1603370
2593470
3593470
4573580
5563680
6543790
7543790
85238100
95139100
105039110
114940110
124840110
134840120
144740120
154640130
164641130
174541140
184541140
194440150
204440160
214340161
224340171
234240181
244239181
254139191
264039201
274039201
283939211
293840211
303840211
313740211

Wind in October

Winds average 21 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3021breezy
3121breezy

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 5:56 AM to 5:20 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:566:17
212.45:556:17
312.45:546:18
412.45:526:19
512.55:516:20
612.55:506:20
712.55:486:21
812.65:476:22
912.65:466:23
1012.75:446:24
1112.75:436:24
1212.75:426:25
1312.85:406:26
1412.85:396:27
1512.85:386:28
1612.95:376:28
1712.95:356:29
1812.95:346:30
1913.05:336:31
2013.05:326:32
2113.05:316:33
2213.15:306:34
2313.15:296:34
2413.15:276:35
2513.25:266:36
2613.25:256:37
2713.25:246:38
2813.35:236:39
2913.35:226:40
3013.35:216:41
3113.45:206:42

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.82 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 — October's 5.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.0Intense
226.1Intense
236.1Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Port Elizabeth?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.6
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Port Elizabeth in October

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

In October, Port Elizabeth sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 8 days see rain.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Port Elizabeth in October

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 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 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 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 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 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
October 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).