Swellendam weather in August

In August, Swellendam sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 33 mm of rain across 6.5 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 Swellendam's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Swellendam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Rainfall
33 mm
6.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 42 min
7:21 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
42%
7th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Swellendam is town in Western Cape, South Africa.

Founded
1746

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 19°C through the month.

A typical August day in Swellendam reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and about 2°C cooler than September.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1186
2186
3186
4186
5186
6186
7186
8186
9186
10186
11186
12186
13186
14197
15197
16197
17197
18197
19197
20197
21197
22197
23197
24197
25197
26197
27198
28208
29208
30208
31208

Swellendam weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 16°285.1147.0
Feb28° / 16°235.313.37.0
Mar27° / 15°35612.37.5
Apr24° / 12°376.111.27.7
May21° / 305.410.37.5
Jun18° / 316.19.86.9
Jul18° / 336106.8
Aug19° / 336.510.76.9
Sep21° / 245.711.87.3
Oct23° / 11°395.512.97.8
Nov25° / 13°405.813.87.7
Dec27° / 15°295.414.27.4

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37327
47327
57327
67228
77228
87129
97129
107030
117030
126931
136931
146931
156931
166931
176931
186832
196832
206832
216832
226733
236832
246733
256832
266832
276733
286733
296733
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Swellendam gets around 33 mm of rain over 6.5 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 20% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
418
518
618
718
819
919
1019
1120
1220
1320
1420
1521
1621
1721
1821
1921
2021
2121
2222
2322
2422
2522
2622
2721
2821
2921
3020
3120

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
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in August

Winds average 9 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

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 7:36 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:365:53
210.37:355:54
310.37:345:54
410.47:335:55
510.47:325:56
610.47:315:57
710.57:305:57
810.57:295:58
910.57:285:59
1010.57:276:00
1110.67:266:00
1210.67:256:01
1310.67:246:02
1410.77:236:02
1510.77:226:03
1610.77:216:04
1710.87:206:05
1810.87:186:05
1910.87:176:06
2010.87:166:07
2110.97:156:08
2210.97:136:08
2310.97:126:09
2411.07:116:10
2511.07:106:11
2611.07:086:11
2711.17:076:12
2811.17:066:13
2911.27:046:13
3011.27:036:14
3111.27:026:15

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 3.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.64 kWh/m² to a high of 7.53 kWh/m² in December across the year — August's 3.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.2Moderate
23.2Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.5Moderate
113.5Moderate
123.5Moderate
133.5Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.7Moderate
183.7Moderate
193.7Moderate
203.8Moderate
213.8Moderate
223.9Moderate
233.9Moderate
243.9Moderate
254.0Moderate
264.0Bright
274.0Bright
284.1Bright
294.1Bright
304.2Bright
314.2Bright
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Swellendam?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

August is a reasonable time to visit Swellendam for sightseeing.

What to pack for Swellendam in August

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

In August, Swellendam sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layer

Sea temperature near Swellendam 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 at the nearest coast (about 56 km away) is warmest in February at about 22°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 15 to Mar 26 — about 3.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Cool
Aug15Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Swellendam 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 Swellendam 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
Jan14Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Swellendam 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 Swellendam is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.9× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2017 µg/m³Jan 166 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr10Good
May16Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Swellendam?

Swellendam sits at 34.0°S, 20.4°E, 128 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Montagu, 40 km away.

Topography around Swellendam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Swellendam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 248 m around an average of 163 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,677 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,683 m.

The land around Swellendam is covered by trees (28%), grassland (25%) and shrubs (24%) within 3 km, grassland (33%), cropland (31%) and shrubs (24%) within 16 km, and grassland (38%), shrubs (27%) and cropland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
248 m
16 km
1,677 m
80 km
1,683 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
August weather nearby: Montagu 40 km · Ashton 41 km · Robertson 57 km · Bredasdorp 68 km · Riversdale 76 km · Caledon 96 km · Worcester 101 km · Gansbaai 118 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 Swellendam (-34.0226°, 20.4417°, elevation 128 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).