Retreat in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Retreat sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 294 mm of rain over about 31 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Retreat's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Retreat's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 294 mm
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 17 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Retreat in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C.
A typical winter day in Retreat reaches about 16°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest July.
Retreat weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22° / 18° | 15 | 2.8 | 14 | 8.5 |
| Feb | 22° / 18° | 14 | 3 | 13.3 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 21° / 17° | 16 | 3.3 | 12.3 | 8.1 |
| Apr | 20° / 15° | 43 | 5.2 | 11.2 | 7.2 |
| May | 18° / 14° | 67 | 8.4 | 10.3 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 16° / 12° | 108 | 11.1 | 9.8 | 5.2 |
| Jul | 16° / 11° | 98 | 9.9 | 10 | 5.1 |
| Aug | 16° / 11° | 87 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 5.1 |
| Sep | 17° / 12° | 51 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 5.7 |
| Oct | 18° / 14° | 33 | 5.8 | 12.9 | 6.8 |
| Nov | 20° / 15° | 30 | 5.1 | 13.8 | 7.3 |
| Dec | 21° / 17° | 17 | 3.6 | 14.2 | 8.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Retreat gets around 294 mm of rain over 31 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 17 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early June to 11 h 12 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Retreat
In winter, Retreat overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Retreat's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Retreat?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Retreat for sightseeing.
What to pack for Retreat in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Retreat sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 31 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Retreat in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 15°C across winter — 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 19°C and coldest in August near 15°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 19 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 16 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Cool |
| Aug | 15 | Bracing |
| Sep | 15 | Cool |
| Oct | 16 | Cool |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Retreat in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Retreat peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Air quality in Retreat in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Retreat is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 20 | 19 | 28 | 41 | 52 | 50 | 47 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 18 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 28 | Moderate |
| Apr | 41 | Poor |
| May | 52 | Poor |
| Jun | 50 | Poor |
| Jul | 47 | Poor |
| Aug | 41 | Poor |
| Sep | 33 | Moderate |
| Oct | 29 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Where is Retreat?
Retreat sits at 34.1°S, 18.5°E, 8 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Muizenberg, 5.0 km away.
Topography around Retreat
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Retreat.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Retreat has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 43 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,078 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,973 m.
The land around Retreat is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) within 3 km, water (31%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 16 km, and water (49%) and grassland (20%) within 80 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
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 Retreat (-34.0551°, 18.4762°, elevation 8 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.