South Africa · 1991–2020

Best time to visit
Cape Town

For Cape Town, November has the most comfortable weather in our climate comparison. Typical daytime highs are 24.6°C, nights average 13°C, and rainfall totals about 35 mm. Figures use measured 1991–2020 normals from the nearest eligible NOAA station.

Best all-round monthNovember

Typical daytime high24.6°C

Typical night-time low13°C

November rainfall35 mm

Overall comfort

November

Other strong months: December and March

93/100 weather score

Outdoor sightseeing

October

Other strong months: September and May

86/100 weather score

Make the answer personal

Choose the weather
that suits you.

Set the daytime temperature and rainfall you are comfortable with. We will show only the months that meet every choice, using the measured 1991–2020 averages below.

Daytime high: at least 18°CDaytime high: at most 28°CMonthly rain: no more than 100 mmWet days: no more than 10

8 months fit your choices for Cape Town

January27.9°C day · 8 mm rain · 2.1 wet days

March26.9°C day · 18 mm rain · 3 wet days

April24.5°C day · 52 mm rain · 5.5 wet days

May21.4°C day · 75 mm rain · 9.5 wet days

September20.4°C day · 58 mm rain · 9.7 wet days

October23.1°C day · 37 mm rain · 4.9 wet days

November24.6°C day · 35 mm rain · 4.6 wet days

December26.7°C day · 28 mm rain · 2.9 wet days

July has the lowest comfort score at 46 out of 100, compared with November at 93. The main reason is that days reach only 18.5°C, 5° below the 24°C the score treats as ideal, and nights drop to 6.8°C.

Quick answers

Planning a trip to Cape Town?

These answers come from the same measured monthly climate record shown on this page.

When is the best time to visit Cape Town?

November is the strongest all-round choice in our temperature-and-rainfall comparison, with a typical daytime high of 24.6°C and 35 mm of rain.

What is the hottest month in Cape Town?

February is hottest in this record, with a typical daytime high of 28.2°C and a night-time low of 16.2°C.

Which month has the least rain?

January has the lowest monthly rainfall total at 8 mm.

Is this a weather forecast?

No. These are long-term measured averages from 1991–2020. Check a current forecast before you travel.

Month by month

See how the weather
changes through the year.

The bars combine daytime temperature, night-time temperature and rainfall. The figures are measured historical averages, not a forecast for a particular trip.

8527.9° / 16.4°

8428.2° / 16.2°

9026.9° / 14.7°

8824.5° / 11.6°

7021.4° / 9.6°

5118.9° / 7.3°

4618.5° / 6.8°

5318.9° / 7.3°

6820.4° / 8.9°

8823.1° / 10.9°

9324.6° / 13°

9126.7° / 15.3°

Monthly climate evidence for Cape Town — daylight is calculated from latitude, everything else is measured
Month	Day	Night	Rain	Wet days	Daylight	Comfort	Coverage
January	27.9°C	16.4°C	8 mm	2.1	14 h 11	85	Limited coverage
February	28.2°C	16.2°C	18 mm	2.3	13 h 22	84	Limited coverage
March	26.9°C	14.7°C	18 mm	3	12 h 24	90	Limited coverage
April	24.5°C	11.6°C	52 mm	5.5	11 h 17	88	Limited coverage
May	21.4°C	9.6°C	75 mm	9.5	10 h 23	70	Good coverage
June	18.9°C	7.3°C	106 mm	12.8	9 h 54	51	Good coverage
July	18.5°C	6.8°C	122 mm	12.8	10 h 06	46	Good coverage
August	18.9°C	7.3°C	92 mm	12.6	10 h 52	53	Good coverage
September	20.4°C	8.9°C	58 mm	9.7	11 h 56	68	Good coverage
October	23.1°C	10.9°C	37 mm	4.9	13 h	88	Limited coverage
November	24.6°C	13°C	35 mm	4.6	13 h 56	93	Good coverage
December	26.7°C	15.3°C	28 mm	2.9	14 h 24	91	Limited coverage

Records at CAPE TOWN INTL, 1976–2025
Month	Record high	Record low	Wettest day	Wettest / driest month	Years
January	41.3°C19 Jan 2000	4.7°C23 Jan 1998	99 mm5 Jan 2023	101 mm2023 · driest 0 mm in 2021	43
February	37.4°C18 Feb 2000	6.2°C19 Feb 1982	30 mm13 Feb 1988	49 mm1983 · driest 0 mm in 1981	41
March	42.4°C3 Mar 2015	1.0°C24 Mar 2014	150 mm26 Mar 2014	168 mm2014 · driest 0 mm in 1999	44
April	37.4°C13 Apr 2012	0.0°C28 Apr 1993	94 mm12 Apr 1993	182 mm1993 · driest 1 mm in 1994	44
May	33.7°C17 May 2022	0.0°C9 May 2001	54 mm20 May 2007	140 mm1984 · driest 0 mm in 2024	43
June	30.9°C8 Jun 2022	-0.4°C17 Jun 1988	99 mm19 Jun 2025	200 mm2025 · driest 4 mm in 2003	43
July	30.3°C31 Jul 2017	-4.6°C21 Jul 2000	61 mm6 Jul 1985	195 mm2001 · driest 0 mm in 1984	43
August	31.5°C29 Aug 2023	-0.2°C5 Aug 2003	48 mm6 Aug 2004	164 mm2013 · driest 1 mm in 1984	44
September	37.1°C13 Sep 2005	0.6°C10 Sep 1998	99 mm29 Sep 2020	113 mm2020 · driest 0 mm in 1976	45
October	37.2°C10 Oct 1985	0.0°C14 Oct 1998	53 mm5 Oct 1984	86 mm1995 · driest 0 mm in 1999	45
November	38.7°C15 Nov 2000	3.4°C8 Nov 1996	99 mm12 Nov 2023	100 mm2023 · driest 0 mm in 2019	46
December	39.1°C30 Dec 2015	6.2°C9 Dec 2011	99 mm11 Dec 2020	101 mm2020 · driest 0 mm in 2005	45

Typical days per month at CAPE TOWN INTL, 1991–2020
Month	Days 25°C+	Days 30°C+	Heavy rain (10 mm+)
January	24	7	<1
February	23	8	<1
March	19	5	<1
April	11	3	1
May	5	1	2
June	2	<1	3
July	2	0	2
August	2	<1	2
September	4	<1	<1
October	8	2	<1
November	11	3	<1
December	19	5	<1

How often different weather occurs at CAPE TOWN INTL, based on its daily record
Month	Dry days reaching 20°C	Wet days	Days with heavy rain	Weeks with 3+ wet days	Typical high by year
January	87%	13%	2%	5%	26.3–28.9°C
February	84%	14%	3%	4%	26.3–29.6°C
March	84%	16%	3%	7%	25.5–28.1°C
April	64%	27%	6%	32%	23.1–25.8°C
May	40%	34%	10%	42%	20.3–23.0°C
June	19%	42%	12%	52%	17.7–20.6°C
July	18%	39%	12%	56%	16.9–19.8°C
August	19%	38%	9%	45%	17.9–20.8°C
September	34%	31%	4%	36%	18.7–22.3°C
October	59%	22%	4%	15%	21.3–24.3°C
November	77%	19%	4%	12%	23.3–26.2°C
December	84%	16%	2%	7%	25.0–28.0°C

A dry day reaching 20°C records under 1 mm of rain. A wet day records at least 1 mm, while a heavy-rain day records at least 10 mm. The weekly figure is the share of seven-day periods containing three or more wet days. The final column shows the middle 80% of average daytime highs recorded for that month in individual years; a wider range means conditions have varied more from one year to another.

1982Each stripe is one year’s mean temperature against the 34-year average. Warmest: 1999. Coolest: 1996.2021

The evidence behind this page

Where these figures
come from.

Place identity: GeoNames 3369157
NOAA station: SFM00068816 · CAPE TOWN INTL
Station distance: 17.1 km from the place centre
Climate period: 1991–2020
Minimum month coverage: 11 usable years
Daylight: Calculated from latitude -33.93°, mid-month, sunrise to sunset including refraction. Not a station measurement.
Important limit: Historical climate is not a forecast. Nearby stations can miss mountains, coasts, and local microclimates.

Next step

Choose your month.
Then plan the details.

The weather comparison for Cape Town is based on climate evidence, not payments from travel companies. Flight, accommodation and activity links will be clearly labelled when they are added; there are no booking offers on this page today.

How travel partnerships will work

Keep exploring

Other measured places.

Each destination below has a named station and a complete twelve-month evidence record.

JapanTokyoBest comfort month: May · typical high 23.6°CExplore the year ThailandBangkokBest comfort month: December · typical high 32.3°CExplore the year IcelandReykjavikBest comfort month: July · typical high 14.9°CExplore the year PortugalLisbonBest comfort month: June · typical high 25.7°CExplore the year