Swellendam in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Swellendam sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 80 mm of rain over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Swellendam's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Swellendam's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 80 mm
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.1
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Swellendam in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical summer day in Swellendam reaches about 28°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Swellendam weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) 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 Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Swellendam gets around 80 mm of rain over 16 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 11 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min in early December to 12 h 48 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.2 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Swellendam?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer 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 Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Swellendam sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Swellendam in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 21°C across summer — 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 Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). 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 Summer
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where summer 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.