Richards Bay weather in October

In October, Richards Bay sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 80 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 12.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in October, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Richards Bay's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richards Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
8th warmest
Overnight low
19°
6th coldest
Rainfall
80 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:16 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
60%
10th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical October day in Richards Bay reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and about 1°C cooler than November.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12518
22518
32518
42518
52518
62518
72519
82519
92519
102519
112519
122519
132519
142519
152519
162519
172519
182519
192519
202519
212519
222519
232519
242519
252519
262519
272519
282519
292519
302520
312520

Richards Bay weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 8th-warmest and 6th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35248
45149
55050
65050
74951
84852
94654
104654
114555
124555
134555
144555
154456
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224654
234654
244654
254654
264555
274654
284654
294555
304456
314357

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Richards Bay gets around 80 mm of rain over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
236
337
437
538
638
739
839
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2540
2640
2740
2840
2940
3040
3140

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the humid band about 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 22% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1113146120
2103047130
3103047130
4103047130
593047140
693047140
792948140
882948150
982948160
1072948160
1172947170
1272947180
1362947180
1462846190
1562846200
1662846210
1762746210
1862746220
1952646230
2052545240
2152545240
2252445251
2352345261
2452245271
2552245281
2652144291
2752044301
2842044311
2941943321
3041843331
3141842351

Wind in October

Winds average 19 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:33 AM to 5:02 AM, and sunset from 5:49 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:335:49
212.35:315:50
312.35:305:50
412.45:295:51
512.45:285:51
612.45:275:52
712.45:265:52
812.55:245:53
912.55:235:54
1012.55:225:54
1112.65:215:55
1212.65:205:55
1312.65:195:56
1412.65:185:57
1512.75:175:57
1612.75:165:58
1712.75:155:59
1812.85:145:59
1912.85:136:00
2012.85:126:01
2112.85:116:01
2212.95:106:02
2312.95:096:03
2412.95:086:03
2512.95:076:04
2613.05:066:05
2713.05:066:06
2813.05:056:06
2913.15:046:07
3013.15:036:08
3113.15:026:08

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.04 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 — October's 5.04 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Richards Bay

In seasonPeak

None of Richards Bay's seasonal hazards are active in October. 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.

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

Is October a good time to visit Richards Bay?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Richards Bay for sightseeing.

What to pack for Richards Bay in October

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

In October, Richards Bay sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Richards Bay in October

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in October — 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 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 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 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 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
October 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).