Richards Bay weather in August
In August, Richards Bay sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 39 mm of rain across 7 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in August, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Richards Bay's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richards Bay's year-round climate.
- Daytime high
- 24°
- 10th warmest
- Overnight low
- 16°
- 3rd coldest
- Rainfall
- 39 mm
- 7 wet days
- Daylight
- 11 hours
- 6:27 AM – 5:25 PM
- Cloud cover
- 32%
- 4th clearest
- Wind
- 18 km/h
- 5th windiest
- Solar energy
- 3.95 kWh/m²
- Travel score
- 8.0
- 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 August
Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 24°C through the month.
A typical August day in Richards Bay reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 1°C cooler than September.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Avg low (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | 16 |
| 2 | 23 | 16 |
| 3 | 23 | 16 |
| 4 | 23 | 16 |
| 5 | 23 | 16 |
| 6 | 23 | 16 |
| 7 | 23 | 16 |
| 8 | 23 | 16 |
| 9 | 23 | 16 |
| 10 | 23 | 16 |
| 11 | 23 | 16 |
| 12 | 24 | 16 |
| 13 | 24 | 16 |
| 14 | 24 | 16 |
| 15 | 24 | 16 |
| 16 | 24 | 16 |
| 17 | 24 | 16 |
| 18 | 24 | 16 |
| 19 | 24 | 17 |
| 20 | 24 | 17 |
| 21 | 24 | 17 |
| 22 | 24 | 17 |
| 23 | 24 | 17 |
| 24 | 24 | 17 |
| 25 | 24 | 17 |
| 26 | 24 | 17 |
| 27 | 24 | 17 |
| 28 | 24 | 17 |
| 29 | 24 | 17 |
| 30 | 24 | 17 |
| 31 | 24 | 17 |
Richards Bay weather by month
How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29° / 23° | 108 | 13.5 | 13.6 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 29° / 23° | 95 | 11.9 | 13 | 5.3 |
| Mar | 28° / 22° | 97 | 12.3 | 12.2 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 27° / 20° | 79 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 6.8 |
| May | 25° / 18° | 56 | 7.6 | 10.6 | 7.8 |
| Jun | 24° / 16° | 39 | 6.6 | 10.2 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 23° / 15° | 47 | 6.9 | 10.4 | 8.0 |
| Aug | 24° / 16° | 39 | 7 | 11 | 8.0 |
| Sep | 25° / 18° | 54 | 8.2 | 11.8 | 7.4 |
| Oct | 25° / 19° | 80 | 12.2 | 12.7 | 6.5 |
| Nov | 26° / 20° | 93 | 13.2 | 13.4 | 6.0 |
| Dec | 28° / 22° | 86 | 11.7 | 13.8 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in August
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 64% of the time in August.
Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 22%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 82 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
| Cloudier (%) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 82 | 18 |
| 2 | 82 | 18 |
| 3 | 83 | 17 |
| 4 | 83 | 17 |
| 5 | 81 | 19 |
| 6 | 81 | 19 |
| 7 | 81 | 19 |
| 8 | 81 | 19 |
| 9 | 80 | 20 |
| 10 | 80 | 20 |
| 11 | 80 | 20 |
| 12 | 79 | 21 |
| 13 | 79 | 21 |
| 14 | 79 | 21 |
| 15 | 78 | 22 |
| 16 | 78 | 22 |
| 17 | 77 | 23 |
| 18 | 77 | 23 |
| 19 | 76 | 24 |
| 20 | 75 | 25 |
| 21 | 75 | 25 |
| 22 | 75 | 25 |
| 23 | 75 | 25 |
| 24 | 74 | 26 |
| 25 | 74 | 26 |
| 26 | 74 | 26 |
| 27 | 74 | 26 |
| 28 | 74 | 26 |
| 29 | 74 | 26 |
| 30 | 74 | 26 |
| 31 | 74 | 26 |
Chance of precipitation in August
Richards Bay gets around 39 mm of rain over 7 wet days in August, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain chance (%) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 |
| Rain chance (%) | |
|---|---|
| 1 | 23 |
| 2 | 23 |
| 3 | 23 |
| 4 | 23 |
| 5 | 23 |
| 6 | 24 |
| 7 | 24 |
| 8 | 24 |
| 9 | 24 |
| 10 | 25 |
| 11 | 25 |
| 12 | 25 |
| 13 | 25 |
| 14 | 24 |
| 15 | 24 |
| 16 | 24 |
| 17 | 23 |
| 18 | 23 |
| 19 | 23 |
| 20 | 22 |
| 21 | 22 |
| 22 | 22 |
| 23 | 22 |
| 24 | 21 |
| 25 | 21 |
| 26 | 21 |
| 27 | 21 |
| 28 | 21 |
| 29 | 21 |
| 30 | 21 |
| 31 | 22 |
Humidity in August
Most of August feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
By dew point, August lands in the comfortable band about 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 39 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 |
| Comfortable (%) | 48 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 43 | 43 | 42 | 42 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 44 |
| Humid (%) | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
| Muggy (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | Muggy (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | 48 | 11 | 0 |
| 2 | 41 | 48 | 12 | 0 |
| 3 | 41 | 47 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | 41 | 46 | 13 | 0 |
| 5 | 41 | 46 | 13 | 0 |
| 6 | 41 | 45 | 14 | 0 |
| 7 | 41 | 45 | 15 | 0 |
| 8 | 40 | 44 | 15 | 0 |
| 9 | 40 | 44 | 16 | 0 |
| 10 | 39 | 44 | 17 | 0 |
| 11 | 39 | 44 | 17 | 0 |
| 12 | 38 | 44 | 18 | 0 |
| 13 | 38 | 43 | 19 | 0 |
| 14 | 38 | 43 | 19 | 0 |
| 15 | 38 | 42 | 20 | 0 |
| 16 | 37 | 42 | 21 | 0 |
| 17 | 37 | 41 | 21 | 0 |
| 18 | 36 | 41 | 22 | 0 |
| 19 | 36 | 41 | 23 | 0 |
| 20 | 35 | 41 | 23 | 1 |
| 21 | 34 | 41 | 24 | 1 |
| 22 | 33 | 41 | 25 | 1 |
| 23 | 32 | 41 | 26 | 1 |
| 24 | 31 | 42 | 27 | 1 |
| 25 | 30 | 42 | 28 | 1 |
| 26 | 29 | 42 | 29 | 1 |
| 27 | 27 | 42 | 29 | 1 |
| 28 | 26 | 43 | 30 | 1 |
| 29 | 25 | 43 | 31 | 1 |
| 30 | 23 | 43 | 32 | 1 |
| 31 | 22 | 44 | 33 | 1 |
Wind in August
Winds average 18 km/h in August.
Across August, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | light breeze |
| 2 | 17 | light breeze |
| 3 | 17 | light breeze |
| 4 | 17 | light breeze |
| 5 | 17 | light breeze |
| 6 | 17 | light breeze |
| 7 | 17 | light breeze |
| 8 | 17 | light breeze |
| 9 | 17 | light breeze |
| 10 | 17 | light breeze |
| 11 | 17 | light breeze |
| 12 | 18 | light breeze |
| 13 | 18 | light breeze |
| 14 | 18 | light breeze |
| 15 | 18 | light breeze |
| 16 | 18 | light breeze |
| 17 | 18 | light breeze |
| 18 | 18 | light breeze |
| 19 | 18 | light breeze |
| 20 | 18 | light breeze |
| 21 | 18 | light breeze |
| 22 | 18 | light breeze |
| 23 | 18 | light breeze |
| 24 | 18 | light breeze |
| 25 | 18 | light breeze |
| 26 | 18 | light breeze |
| 27 | 18 | light breeze |
| 28 | 18 | light breeze |
| 29 | 18 | light breeze |
| 30 | 18 | light breeze |
| 31 | 18 | light breeze |
Sunrise & sunset in August
Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of August to 11 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Days grow by about 48 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 6:40 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 5:16 PM to 5:33 PM.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 11.4 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:40 | 6:39 | 6:38 | 6:37 | 6:37 | 6:36 | 6:35 | 6:34 | 6:33 | 6:33 | 6:32 | 6:31 | 6:30 | 6:29 | 6:28 | 6:27 | 6:26 | 6:25 | 6:24 | 6:23 | 6:22 | 6:21 | 6:20 | 6:19 | 6:18 | 6:17 | 6:15 | 6:14 | 6:13 | 6:12 | 6:11 |
| Sunset (PM) | 5:16 | 5:17 | 5:17 | 5:18 | 5:19 | 5:19 | 5:20 | 5:20 | 5:21 | 5:21 | 5:22 | 5:23 | 5:23 | 5:24 | 5:24 | 5:25 | 5:25 | 5:26 | 5:26 | 5:27 | 5:28 | 5:28 | 5:29 | 5:29 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 5:31 | 5:31 | 5:32 | 5:32 | 5:33 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.6 | 6:40 | 5:16 |
| 2 | 10.6 | 6:39 | 5:17 |
| 3 | 10.7 | 6:38 | 5:17 |
| 4 | 10.7 | 6:37 | 5:18 |
| 5 | 10.7 | 6:37 | 5:19 |
| 6 | 10.7 | 6:36 | 5:19 |
| 7 | 10.7 | 6:35 | 5:20 |
| 8 | 10.8 | 6:34 | 5:20 |
| 9 | 10.8 | 6:33 | 5:21 |
| 10 | 10.8 | 6:33 | 5:21 |
| 11 | 10.8 | 6:32 | 5:22 |
| 12 | 10.9 | 6:31 | 5:23 |
| 13 | 10.9 | 6:30 | 5:23 |
| 14 | 10.9 | 6:29 | 5:24 |
| 15 | 10.9 | 6:28 | 5:24 |
| 16 | 11.0 | 6:27 | 5:25 |
| 17 | 11.0 | 6:26 | 5:25 |
| 18 | 11.0 | 6:25 | 5:26 |
| 19 | 11.0 | 6:24 | 5:26 |
| 20 | 11.1 | 6:23 | 5:27 |
| 21 | 11.1 | 6:22 | 5:28 |
| 22 | 11.1 | 6:21 | 5:28 |
| 23 | 11.1 | 6:20 | 5:29 |
| 24 | 11.2 | 6:19 | 5:29 |
| 25 | 11.2 | 6:18 | 5:30 |
| 26 | 11.2 | 6:17 | 5:30 |
| 27 | 11.3 | 6:15 | 5:31 |
| 28 | 11.3 | 6:14 | 5:31 |
| 29 | 11.3 | 6:13 | 5:32 |
| 30 | 11.3 | 6:12 | 5:32 |
| 31 | 11.4 | 6:11 | 5:33 |
Solar energy in August
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.95 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 — August's 3.95 kWh/m² falls in the middle.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 2 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 3 | 3.6 | Moderate |
| 4 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 5 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 6 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 7 | 3.7 | Moderate |
| 8 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 9 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 10 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 11 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 12 | 3.8 | Moderate |
| 13 | 3.9 | Moderate |
| 14 | 3.9 | Moderate |
| 15 | 3.9 | Moderate |
| 16 | 3.9 | Moderate |
| 17 | 4.0 | Moderate |
| 18 | 4.0 | Moderate |
| 19 | 4.0 | Bright |
| 20 | 4.0 | Bright |
| 21 | 4.1 | Bright |
| 22 | 4.1 | Bright |
| 23 | 4.1 | Bright |
| 24 | 4.2 | Bright |
| 25 | 4.2 | Bright |
| 26 | 4.2 | Bright |
| 27 | 4.3 | Bright |
| 28 | 4.3 | Bright |
| 29 | 4.3 | Bright |
| 30 | 4.3 | Bright |
| 31 | 4.3 | Bright |
Hazard calendar for Richards Bay
None of Richards Bay's seasonal hazards are active in August. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.
Richards Bay sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Is August a good time to visit Richards Bay?
Our two travel scores rate August for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).
August is one of the better times to visit Richards Bay for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Richards Bay in August
From August's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In August, Richards Bay sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes. About 7 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Richards Bay in August
The nearest coast averages about 22°C in August — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 26 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 25 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 25 | Warm |
| May | 24 | Warm |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 22 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 22 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 24 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 25 | Warm |
UV index in Richards Bay in August
Clear-sky midday UV in August 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Extreme | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 5 | Moderate |
| Jun | 4 | Moderate |
| Jul | 4 | Moderate |
| Aug | 6 | High |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Air quality in Richards Bay in August
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 7 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 19 | Moderate |
| Jul | 21 | Moderate |
| Aug | 18 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 12 | Moderate |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 7 | Good |
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.
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 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).