Richards Bay weather in April

In April, Richards Bay sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 79 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 11.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in April, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of April to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Richards Bay's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richards Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
8th coldest
Rainfall
79 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 18 min
6:13 AM – 5:31 PM
Cloud cover
42%
5th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Richards Bay is town.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 13 µg/m³ · 2012
Founded
1879

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

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month.

A typical April day in Richards Bay reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 2°C cooler than March and about 1°C warmer than May.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12821
22721
32721
42721
52721
62721
72721
82721
92721
102721
112721
122721
132720
142720
152720
162720
172620
182620
192620
202620
212620
222620
232620
242620
252620
262620
272619
282619
292619
302619

Richards Bay weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 5th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 23°10813.513.65.3
Feb29° / 23°9511.9135.3
Mar28° / 22°9712.312.25.9
Apr27° / 20°7910.411.36.8
May25° / 18°567.610.67.8
Jun24° / 16°396.610.28.2
Jul23° / 15°476.910.48.0
Aug24° / 16°397118.0
Sep25° / 18°548.211.87.4
Oct25° / 19°8012.212.76.5
Nov26° / 20°9313.213.46.0
Dec28° / 22°8611.713.85.9

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36436
46436
56436
66436
76436
86535
96535
106535
116535
126634
136733
146832
156832
166832
177030
187129
197129
207228
217228
227228
237327
247327
257327
267426
277525
287525
297624
307624

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Richards Bay gets around 79 mm of rain over 10.4 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
437
537
637
736
836
935
1035
1134
1234
1333
1433
1532
1632
1732
1831
1931
2031
2132
2232
2332
2432
2532
2632
2731
2831
2931
3031

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of April feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, April lands in the muggy band about 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 51% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
104225816
215235714
316255513
416265512
517275411
617295310
71830529
81832518
91833517
102835496
112936485
122937485
132938484
142938474
1521038473
1621038473
1721038472
1821139472
1921139462
2021239452
2121239452
2221340442
2321440421
2421541411
2521541401
2631642381
2731743371
2831744351
2931845340
3031846320

Wind in April

Winds average 16 km/h in April.

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

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light 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

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of April to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:045:49
211.76:055:48
311.76:055:46
411.76:065:45
511.66:065:44
611.66:075:43
711.66:085:42
811.56:085:40
911.56:095:39
1011.56:095:38
1111.56:105:37
1211.46:105:36
1311.46:115:35
1411.46:125:34
1511.36:125:32
1611.36:135:31
1711.36:135:30
1811.36:145:29
1911.26:155:28
2011.26:155:27
2111.26:165:26
2211.16:165:25
2311.16:175:24
2411.16:175:23
2511.16:185:22
2611.06:195:21
2711.06:195:20
2811.06:205:19
2911.06:215:18
3010.96:215:17

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 4.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.12 kWh/m² in January across the year — April's 4.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.5Bright
54.5Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.4Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.0Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Bright
234.0Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Richards Bay

In seasonPeak

In April, Richards Bay sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Richards Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is April a good time to visit Richards Bay?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Richards Bay for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Richards Bay in April

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

In April, Richards Bay sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 20°C. Worth packing: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Richards Bay in April

The nearest coast averages about 25°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 27°C and coldest in August near 22°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Warm
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug22Refreshing
Sep22Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov24Refreshing
Dec25Warm

UV index in Richards Bay in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Richards Bay peaks around February 10 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighVery highVery highExtremeFeb 10UV 12Jun 21UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Richards Bay in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Richards Bay is worst in July — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Richards Bay's WHO annual average of 13 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1420 µg/m³Jan 186 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr15Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Richards Bay?

Richards Bay sits at 28.8°S, 32.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Empangeni, 14 km away.

Topography around Richards Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Richards Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 48 m around an average of 12 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 187 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,252 m.

The land around Richards Bay is covered by trees (25%) and water (23%) within 3 km, trees (37%) and water (33%) within 16 km, and water (34%), trees (29%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
48 m
16 km
187 m
80 km
1,252 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
April weather nearby: Empangeni 14 km · eSikhaleni 17 km · Mtubatuba 43 km · Eshowe 56 km · Mandeni 73 km · Ulundi 79 km · KwaDukuza 95 km · Shakaskraal 109 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 Richards Bay (-28.783°, 32.0377°, elevation 9 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).