Somerset West in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), Somerset West sees average daytime highs around 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 167 mm of rain over about 18 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 24°C in early March to 17°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Somerset West's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Somerset West's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
21°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
14°C
Rainfall
167 mm
18 wet days
Avg wind
13 km/h
Travel score
7.5
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Somerset West in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 24°C in early March to 17°C by late May.

A typical fall day in Somerset West reaches about 21°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°15°20°25°30°MarAprMay

Somerset West weather by month

How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Somerset West gets around 167 mm of rain over 18 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%MarAprMay

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Fall

Winds average 13 km/h across fall.

05101520MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min in early March to 9 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.3 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Hazard calendar for Somerset West

In seasonPeak

In fall, Somerset West overlaps 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 fall a good time to visit Somerset West?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

7.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is one of the better times to visit Somerset West for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Somerset West in Fall

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

In fall, Somerset West sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Somerset West in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 16°C across fall — 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 Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 6 — 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 Fall

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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