Somerset West weather in August

In August, Somerset West sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 105 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Somerset West's 9th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Somerset West's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Rainfall
105 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:27 AM – 6:10 PM
Cloud cover
47%
9th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Somerset West is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
3,671/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month.

A typical August day in Somerset West reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 1°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1169
2169
3169
4169
5169
6169
7169
8169
9169
10169
11169
12169
13169
14169
15169
16169
17169
18169
19169
20169
21169
22169
23169
24169
251610
261610
271610
281610
291610
301610
311610

Somerset West weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 17°213.4148.8
Feb25° / 17°183.213.38.7
Mar24° / 16°213.512.38.6
Apr21° / 14°565.711.27.4
May19° / 12°90910.36.4
Jun16° / 10°138119.85.1
Jul16° / 12210.3105.1
Aug16° / 10510.910.75.1
Sep17° / 11°688.811.85.8
Oct19° / 12°456.612.96.9
Nov21° / 14°415.813.87.5
Dec23° / 16°244.214.28.4

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36436
46436
56436
66436
76436
86436
96436
106436
116436
126436
136436
146436
156436
166337
176337
186238
196238
206139
216139
226040
236040
245842
255743
265743
275644
285545
295545
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Somerset West gets around 105 mm of rain over 10.9 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1234
1334
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1934
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2535
2635
2735
2835
2935
3035
3134

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August 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%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in August

Winds average 13 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of August to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 7:42 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:425:59
210.37:416:00
310.37:416:01
410.47:406:01
510.47:396:02
610.47:386:03
710.47:376:04
810.57:366:04
910.57:356:05
1010.57:346:06
1110.67:336:07
1210.67:326:07
1310.67:316:08
1410.77:306:09
1510.77:286:10
1610.77:276:10
1710.87:266:11
1810.87:256:12
1910.87:246:13
2010.87:226:13
2110.97:216:14
2210.97:206:15
2310.97:196:16
2411.07:176:16
2511.07:166:17
2611.07:156:18
2711.17:146:18
2811.17:126:19
2911.27:116:20
3011.27:106:21
3111.27:086:21

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 8.15 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.0Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.1Moderate
43.1Moderate
53.2Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.3Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.4Moderate
123.4Moderate
133.4Moderate
143.4Moderate
153.5Moderate
163.5Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.6Moderate
193.6Moderate
203.6Moderate
213.6Moderate
223.7Moderate
233.7Moderate
243.8Moderate
253.8Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
304.0Moderate
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in August

Hazard calendar for Somerset West

In seasonPeak

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

Somerset West's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is August a good time to visit Somerset West?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Somerset West for sightseeing.

What to pack for Somerset West in August

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

In August, Somerset West sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Somerset West in August

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 19°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr16Cool
May16Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Somerset West in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 4 — 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 West peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Somerset West in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Somerset West is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Somerset West?

Somerset West sits at 34.1°S, 18.8°E, 13 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Stellenbosch, 17 km away.

Topography around Somerset West

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Somerset West has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 201 m around an average of 33 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,612 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,034 m.

The land around Somerset West is covered by artificial surfaces (37%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, grassland (36%) and water (29%) within 16 km, and water (40%) and grassland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
201 m
16 km
1,612 m
80 km
2,034 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Stellenbosch 17 km · Kuils River 19 km · Grabouw 19 km · Kraaifontein 28 km · Muizenberg 31 km · Lansdowne 32 km · Retreat 32 km · Athlone 32 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 West (-34.084°, 18.8211°, elevation 13 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).