Richmond weather in October

In October, Richmond sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 103 mm of rain across 16.8 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 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of October to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Richmond's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Richmond's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
8th warmest
Overnight low
12°
6th coldest
Rainfall
103 mm
16.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 42 min
5:22 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
68%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.7
out of 10

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical October day in Richmond reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs on par with September and on par with November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12311
22311
32311
42311
52312
62312
72312
82312
92312
102312
112312
122312
132312
142312
152312
162312
172312
182312
192312
202312
212312
222312
232312
242312
252313
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313
312313

Richmond 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
Jan26° / 16°14719.613.75.2
Feb26° / 16°12216.613.15.4
Mar25° / 15°11015.312.26.0
Apr23° / 13°6610.411.36.9
May22° / 315.610.57.8
Jun20° / 24410.17.9
Jul21° / 314.310.37.9
Aug22° / 386.610.97.6
Sep23° / 11°581011.87.0
Oct23° / 12°10316.812.75.7
Nov24° / 14°12318.613.55.3
Dec25° / 15°14320.713.95.1

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14555
24456
34357
44159
54159
64159
74060
83862
93862
103763
113763
123664
133664
143664
153565
163565
173565
183565
193466
203466
213367
223367
233367
243268
253268
263268
273268
283268
293169
303169
313169

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Richmond gets around 103 mm of rain over 16.8 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 53% and peaks near 58% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
246
347
448
549
650
751
851
952
1052
1153
1253
1353
1453
1553
1653
1753
1853
1953
2054
2154
2255
2355
2456
2556
2657
2757
2857
2957
3058
3158

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 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
175241
275241
374251
473252
572262
671272
770273
869283
968284
1066295
1166295
1264306
1364306
1462317
1562317
1660328
1759338
1857349
1956359
20543610
21533710
22513811
23503911
24484012
25474112
26464213
27444313
28434314
29424414
30414514
31404515

Wind in October

Winds average 8 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 54 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:39 AM to 5:08 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:395:56
212.35:385:57
312.35:375:58
412.45:365:58
512.45:345:59
612.45:335:59
712.55:326:00
812.55:316:01
912.55:306:01
1012.65:296:02
1112.65:276:03
1212.65:266:03
1312.65:256:04
1412.75:246:05
1512.75:236:05
1612.75:226:06
1712.85:216:07
1812.85:206:07
1912.85:196:08
2012.95:186:09
2112.95:176:10
2212.95:166:10
2312.95:156:11
2413.05:146:12
2513.05:136:12
2613.05:126:13
2713.05:116:14
2813.15:106:15
2913.15:106:15
3013.15:096:16
3113.25:086:17

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 4.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.31 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in January across the year — October's 4.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Richmond

In seasonPeak

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

Richmond'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 Richmond?

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

5.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.4
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Richmond for sightseeing.

What to pack for Richmond in October

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

In October, Richmond sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 17 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Richmond 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 64 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

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

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Richmond in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Richmond peaks around January 16 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Richmond 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 Richmond is worst in July — around 92 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.9× the cleanest month (December, 23 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1690 µg/m³Dec 2324 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar37Poor
Apr52Poor
May74Unhealthy
Jun77Unhealthy
Jul92Unhealthy
Aug75Unhealthy
Sep57Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov37Poor
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Richmond?

Richmond sits at 29.9°S, 30.3°E, 883 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Pietermaritzburg, 31 km away.

Topography around Richmond

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Richmond has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 289 m around an average of 891 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,258 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,315 m.

The land around Richmond is covered by trees (43%), grassland (26%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, trees (57%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%) and trees (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
289 m
16 km
1,258 m
80 km
2,315 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
October weather nearby: Pietermaritzburg 31 km · Mpophomeni 35 km · Mpumalanga 36 km · Howick 44 km · Folweni 53 km · Clydesdale 57 km · Pinetown 60 km · eMuziwezinto 62 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 Richmond (-29.872°, 30.2723°, elevation 883 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. 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).