Somerset East weather in September

In September, Somerset East sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 32 mm of rain across 5.1 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in September, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of September to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, September is Somerset East's 5th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Somerset East's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Rainfall
32 mm
5.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:18 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
42%
5th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.7
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 September

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month.

A typical September day in Somerset East reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, September runs about 2°C warmer than August and about 2°C cooler than October.

10°20°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1217
2217
3217
4218
5228
6228
7228
8228
9228
10228
11228
12228
13228
14228
15228
16228
17228
18228
19228
20228
21228
22228
23228
24228
25238
26239
27239
28239
29239
30239

Somerset East weather by month

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

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in September.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of September, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27030
37030
46931
56931
66832
76733
86733
96634
106535
116436
126337
136337
146337
156238
166238
176139
186238
196139
206139
216139
226139
236040
245941
255941
265941
275842
285842
295842
305743

Chance of precipitation in September

Any precipitation

Somerset East gets around 32 mm of rain over 5.1 wet days in September. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 18% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
116
216
316
416
516
616
715
815
916
1016
1116
1216
1316
1417
1517
1617
1718
1818
1919
2019
2119
2220
2320
2420
2520
2620
2721
2821
2921
3021

Humidity in September

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, September lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982

Wind in September

Winds average 11 km/h in September.

Across September, 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.

051015151015202530
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

Sunrise & sunset in September

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 min at the start of September to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over September. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:395:56
211.36:375:57
311.46:365:57
411.46:355:58
511.46:335:59
611.56:325:59
711.56:306:00
811.56:296:01
911.66:286:01
1011.66:266:02
1111.66:256:03
1211.76:246:03
1311.76:226:04
1411.76:216:05
1511.86:196:05
1611.86:186:06
1711.86:176:07
1811.96:156:07
1911.96:146:08
2011.96:126:09
2112.06:116:09
2212.06:096:10
2312.06:086:11
2412.16:076:11
2512.16:056:12
2612.16:046:13
2712.26:036:13
2812.26:016:14
2912.36:006:15
3012.35:586:15

Solar energy in September

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in September, about 5.11 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 — September's 5.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
Planning a trip in September

Is September a good time to visit Somerset East?

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

7.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Somerset East in September

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

In September, Somerset East sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Somerset East in September

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in September peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 September

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where September 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
September 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).