Swellendam in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Swellendam sees average daytime highs around 24°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 102 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 28°C in early March to 20°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Swellendam's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Swellendam's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 24°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 102 mm
- 18 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.6
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Swellendam in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 28°C in early March to 20°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Swellendam reaches about 24°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
Swellendam 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.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28° / 16° | 28 | 5.1 | 14 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 28° / 16° | 23 | 5.3 | 13.3 | 7.0 |
| Mar | 27° / 15° | 35 | 6 | 12.3 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 24° / 12° | 37 | 6.1 | 11.2 | 7.7 |
| May | 21° / 9° | 30 | 5.4 | 10.3 | 7.5 |
| Jun | 18° / 7° | 31 | 6.1 | 9.8 | 6.9 |
| Jul | 18° / 6° | 33 | 6 | 10 | 6.8 |
| Aug | 19° / 7° | 33 | 6.5 | 10.7 | 6.9 |
| Sep | 21° / 9° | 24 | 5.7 | 11.8 | 7.3 |
| Oct | 23° / 11° | 39 | 5.5 | 12.9 | 7.8 |
| Nov | 25° / 13° | 40 | 5.8 | 13.8 | 7.7 |
| Dec | 27° / 15° | 29 | 5.4 | 14.2 | 7.4 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Swellendam gets around 102 mm of rain over 18 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 9 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
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.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.1 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Swellendam?
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.
fall is one of the better times to visit Swellendam for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Swellendam in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Swellendam sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Swellendam in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across fall — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 21 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 20 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 22 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 21 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 19 | Cool |
| May | 17 | Cool |
| Jun | 16 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Cool |
| Aug | 15 | Cool |
| Sep | 16 | Cool |
| Oct | 17 | Cool |
| Nov | 19 | Cool |
| Dec | 20 | Refreshing |
UV index in Swellendam in Fall
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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 14 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 10 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 4 | Moderate |
| Jun | 3 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 12 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Air quality in Swellendam in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall 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).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 10 | Good |
| May | 16 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 17 | Moderate |
| Aug | 16 | Moderate |
| Sep | 13 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
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.
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 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.