Soweto weather in October

In October, Soweto sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 73 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 12.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of October to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Soweto's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Soweto's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
7th coldest
Rainfall
73 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 36 min
5:35 AM – 6:13 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Soweto is township of South Africa.

Density
8,475/km²
people per km²
Founded
1963

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month.

A typical October day in Soweto reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 1°C warmer than September and on par with November.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12512
22512
32512
42512
52512
62512
72512
82513
92513
102613
112613
122613
132613
142613
152613
162613
172613
182613
192613
202613
212613
222613
232613
242613
252613
262613
272613
282613
292614
302614
312614

Soweto weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°13216.913.55.8
Feb26° / 16°11714.212.96.1
Mar24° / 14°9012.812.26.7
Apr22° / 11°457.411.47.4
May20° / 183.110.78.1
Jun18° / 81.410.47.9
Jul18° / 30.810.58.0
Aug21° / 101.911.18.5
Sep24° / 10°213.411.88.6
Oct25° / 13°7310.412.67.1
Nov26° / 14°9913.913.36.2
Dec26° / 15°14118.513.65.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 28%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17921
27822
37723
47723
57723
67624
77624
87624
97525
107525
117426
127426
137327
147228
157228
167129
177129
187129
197030
207030
216931
226832
236832
246733
256634
266634
276733
286634
296634
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Soweto gets around 73 mm of rain over 10.4 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 33% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
223
324
425
526
627
727
828
929
1029
1130
1231
1331
1432
1533
1633
1734
1835
1935
2036
2137
2237
2338
2439
2539
2640
2740
2840
2940
3041
3141

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9973
10973
11973
12964
13955
14955
15946
16937
17937
18928
19919
209010
218911
228812
238812
248713
258614
268515
278515
288416
298416
308317
318218

Wind in October

Winds average 13 km/h in October, the windiest month of the year.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
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
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 48 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 5:22 AM, and sunset from 6:05 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.25:506:05
212.35:496:05
312.35:486:06
412.35:476:06
512.35:466:07
612.45:456:07
712.45:446:08
812.45:436:08
912.55:426:09
1012.55:416:09
1112.55:406:10
1212.55:396:10
1312.65:386:11
1412.65:376:11
1512.65:366:12
1612.65:356:13
1712.75:346:13
1812.75:336:14
1912.75:326:14
2012.75:316:15
2112.85:306:15
2212.85:296:16
2312.85:286:17
2412.85:286:17
2512.95:276:18
2612.95:266:19
2712.95:256:19
2812.95:256:20
2912.95:246:20
3013.05:236:21
3113.05:226:22

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 6.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in December across the year — October's 6.63 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.5Intense
46.5Intense
56.5Intense
66.5Intense
76.5Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.6Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.6Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in October

Hazard calendar for Soweto

In seasonPeak

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

Soweto'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 Soweto?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

October is one of the better times to visit Soweto for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Soweto in October

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

In October, Soweto sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Soweto in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Soweto peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Soweto 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 Soweto is worst in June — around 283 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 5.7× the cleanest month (January, 50 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyJun 19282 µg/m³Jan 1251 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan50Poor
Feb72Unhealthy
Mar119Unhealthy
Apr177Very unhealthy
May261Very unhealthy
Jun283Very unhealthy
Jul275Very unhealthy
Aug213Very unhealthy
Sep156Very unhealthy
Oct99Unhealthy
Nov70Unhealthy
Dec55Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Soweto?

Soweto sits at 26.3°S, 27.9°E, 1,632 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Roodepoort, 12 km away.

Topography around Soweto

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Soweto has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 1,604 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 284 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 865 m.

The land around Soweto is covered by artificial surfaces (70%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
284 m
80 km
865 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Roodepoort 12 km · Randfontein 18 km · Johannesburg 20 km · Westonaria 22 km · Krugersdorp 22 km · Randburg 24 km · Alberton 26 km · Tokoza 29 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 Soweto (-26.2678°, 27.8585°, elevation 1,632 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).