Potchefstroom weather in October

In October, Potchefstroom sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 65 mm of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Potchefstroom's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Potchefstroom's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
14°
7th coldest
Rainfall
65 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:37 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
38%
7th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.75 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Potchefstroom is city in the North West Province of South Africa.

Density
968/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

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 28°C through the month.

A typical October day in Potchefstroom reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and on par with November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12813
22813
32813
42813
52813
62813
72813
82814
92814
102814
112814
122814
132814
142814
152814
162814
172814
182814
192814
202814
212814
222814
232814
242814
252815
262815
272815
282815
292815
302815
312815

How October really feels in Potchefstroom

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Potchefstroom weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 18°10914.913.55.1
Feb28° / 17°9212.312.95.8
Mar27° / 15°7610.812.26.7
Apr25° / 12°396.811.47.8
May22° / 192.910.78.6
Jun20° / 91.510.48.3
Jul20° / 40.710.58.5
Aug23° / 111.811.18.9
Sep26° / 11°163.111.88.3
Oct28° / 14°659.712.66.6
Nov28° / 15°8212.213.35.6
Dec29° / 17°11216.113.65.0

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of October, 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 (%)
18317
28119
38119
48119
58119
68020
78020
87921
97822
107822
117723
127624
137525
147525
157426
167426
177327
187327
197327
207228
217228
227129
237129
247129
257129
267129
277129
287228
297228
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Potchefstroom gets around 65 mm of rain over 9.7 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 30% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
222
323
423
524
625
726
826
927
1027
1128
1229
1329
1430
1530
1631
1732
1832
1933
2033
2134
2235
2335
2436
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3036
3136

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39730
49730
59730
69640
79640
89640
99550
109460
119460
129370
139280
149190
1590100
1690100
1789110
1888120
1987130
2086140
2186140
2285150
2385150
2484160
2583161
2683161
2783161
2883161
2983161
3082171
3182171

Wind in October

Winds average 13 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:53 AM to 5:25 AM, and sunset from 6:08 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:536:08
212.35:526:09
312.35:516:09
412.35:506:10
512.45:496:10
612.45:486:11
712.45:466:11
812.45:456:12
912.55:446:12
1012.55:436:13
1112.55:426:13
1212.55:416:14
1312.65:406:14
1412.65:396:15
1512.65:386:15
1612.65:376:16
1712.75:366:17
1812.75:356:17
1912.75:356:18
2012.75:346:18
2112.85:336:19
2212.85:326:20
2312.85:316:20
2412.85:306:21
2512.95:296:21
2612.95:296:22
2712.95:286:23
2812.95:276:23
2913.05:266:24
3013.05:266:25
3113.05:256:25

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.75 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.86 kWh/m² to a high of 7.12 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 6.75 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.5Intense
36.5Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
317.0Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Potchefstroom

In seasonPeak

In October, Potchefstroom sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Potchefstroom's rainy season runs October–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 Potchefstroom?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Potchefstroom for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Potchefstroom in October

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

In October, Potchefstroom sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 14°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothessun protectionrain gear

UV index in Potchefstroom 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 Potchefstroom peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Potchefstroom 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 Potchefstroom is worst in June — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 2257 µg/m³Dec 1913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May48Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug45Poor
Sep38Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Potchefstroom?

Potchefstroom sits at 26.7°S, 27.1°E, 1,335 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Stilfontein, 36 km away.

Topography around Potchefstroom

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Potchefstroom has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m around an average of 1,338 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 231 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 528 m.

The land around Potchefstroom is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (61%) and cropland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
39 m
16 km
231 m
80 km
528 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
October weather nearby: Stilfontein 36 km · Parys 41 km · Vredefort 42 km · Klerksdorp 46 km · Fochville 47 km · Carletonville 49 km · Orkney 52 km · Ventersdorp 53 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 Potchefstroom (-26.7167°, 27.1°, elevation 1,335 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).