Somerset East weather in October

In October, Somerset East sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 55 mm of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Somerset East's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Somerset East's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
6th coldest
Rainfall
55 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:38 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
50%
11th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.95 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Somerset East is town in South Africa.

Founded
1825

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 23°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical October day in Somerset East reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and about 1°C cooler than November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1239
2239
3239
4239
5239
6239
7239
8239
92310
102310
112310
122310
132310
142310
152410
162410
172410
182410
192410
202410
212410
222410
232410
242411
252411
262411
272411
282511
292511
302511
312511

Somerset East weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 15°7610.313.96.2
Feb28° / 15°7310.213.26.3
Mar26° / 14°731012.26.9
Apr23° / 11°477.611.27.4
May21° / 224.810.37.7
Jun19° / 234.69.97.3
Jul19° / 233.810.17.5
Aug20° / 315.310.87.4
Sep22° / 325.111.87.7
Oct24° / 10°558.712.87.3
Nov25° / 12°67913.77.1
Dec27° / 14°709.914.16.7

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25743
35644
45644
55545
65644
75644
85644
95743
105644
115644
125644
135743
145743
155743
165743
175842
185842
195941
205842
215842
225941
235842
245941
255941
265941
275842
285842
295842
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Somerset East gets around 55 mm of rain over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
121
222
322
422
523
623
724
824
925
1025
1126
1226
1327
1428
1528
1629
1729
1829
1930
2030
2130
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031
3131

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2973
3973
4973
5973
6964
7964
8964
9955
10955
11955
12946
13946
14946
15946
16937
17937
18937
19937
20937
21928
22928
23928
24919
25919
26919
27919
289010
299010
309010
319010

Wind in October

Winds average 11 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 60 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 5:22 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:576:16
212.45:566:17
312.45:546:18
412.45:536:18
512.55:526:19
612.55:506:20
712.55:496:21
812.65:486:21
912.65:476:22
1012.65:456:23
1112.75:446:24
1212.75:436:24
1312.75:426:25
1412.85:406:26
1512.85:396:27
1612.85:386:27
1712.95:376:28
1812.95:366:29
1912.95:356:30
2013.05:336:31
2113.05:326:31
2213.05:316:32
2313.05:306:33
2413.15:296:34
2513.15:286:35
2613.15:276:36
2713.25:266:36
2813.25:256:37
2913.25:246:38
3013.35:236:39
3113.35:226:40

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.95 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.94 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 5.95 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Somerset East?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Somerset East for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Somerset East in October

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

In October, Somerset East sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Somerset East 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 Somerset East peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Somerset East 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 Somerset East is worst in June — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1516 µg/m³Jan 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May16Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Somerset East?

Somerset East sits at 32.7°S, 25.6°E, 748 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Cradock, 62 km away.

Topography around Somerset East

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Somerset East has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 793 m around an average of 837 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,066 m.

The land around Somerset East is covered by trees (38%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, grassland (62%) and shrubs (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
793 m
16 km
1,030 m
80 km
2,066 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
October weather nearby: Cradock 62 km · Fort Beaufort 98 km · Grahamstown 109 km · Graaff Reinet 112 km · Kariega 116 km · Alice 117 km · Whittlesea 131 km · Port Elizabeth 138 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 Somerset East (-32.7217°, 25.588°, elevation 748 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. 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).