Stellenbosch in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Stellenbosch sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 365 mm of rain over about 32 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Stellenbosch's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Stellenbosch's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 9°C
- Rainfall
- 365 mm
- 32 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.1
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Stellenbosch in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C.
A typical winter day in Stellenbosch reaches about 16°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest July.
Stellenbosch weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24° / 17° | 21 | 3.4 | 14 | 8.8 |
| Feb | 25° / 17° | 18 | 3.2 | 13.3 | 8.7 |
| Mar | 24° / 16° | 21 | 3.5 | 12.3 | 8.6 |
| Apr | 21° / 14° | 56 | 5.7 | 11.2 | 7.4 |
| May | 19° / 12° | 90 | 9 | 10.3 | 6.4 |
| Jun | 16° / 10° | 138 | 11 | 9.8 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 16° / 9° | 122 | 10.3 | 10 | 5.1 |
| Aug | 16° / 9° | 105 | 10.9 | 10.7 | 5.1 |
| Sep | 17° / 11° | 68 | 8.8 | 11.8 | 5.8 |
| Oct | 19° / 12° | 45 | 6.6 | 12.9 | 6.9 |
| Nov | 21° / 14° | 41 | 5.8 | 13.8 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 23° / 16° | 24 | 4.2 | 14.2 | 8.4 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Stellenbosch gets around 365 mm of rain over 32 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early June to 11 h 12 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Stellenbosch
In winter, Stellenbosch overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Stellenbosch's rainy season runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Stellenbosch?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Stellenbosch for sightseeing.
What to pack for Stellenbosch in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Stellenbosch sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 32 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Stellenbosch in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 15°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Bracing |
| Aug | 15 | Bracing |
| Sep | 15 | Cool |
| Oct | 16 | Cool |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Stellenbosch in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Stellenbosch 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Air quality in Stellenbosch in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Stellenbosch 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 20 | 19 | 28 | 41 | 52 | 50 | 47 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 18 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Moderate |
| Feb | 19 | Moderate |
| Mar | 28 | Moderate |
| Apr | 41 | Poor |
| May | 52 | Poor |
| Jun | 50 | Poor |
| Jul | 47 | Poor |
| Aug | 41 | Poor |
| Sep | 33 | Moderate |
| Oct | 29 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Where is Stellenbosch?
Stellenbosch sits at 33.9°S, 18.9°E, 122 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Kuils River, 15 km away.
Topography around Stellenbosch
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Stellenbosch.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Stellenbosch has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 605 m around an average of 167 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 2,073 m.
The land around Stellenbosch is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), grassland (28%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (34%) and grassland (25%) within 80 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
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 Stellenbosch (-33.9346°, 18.8668°, elevation 122 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.