Cape Town, South Africa Climate & Monthly Averages
The climate of Cape Town
9 months of the year in Cape Town land in the band most people call comfortable - highs between 18°C and 27°C with rain on fewer than twelve days. The exceptions sit at either end: January at 79°F (26°C) and July at 62°F (16°C).
Climate quick facts
- Hottest month: January - highs near 79°F (26°C)
- Coldest month: July - highs near 62°F (16°C)
- Decade extremes (2015-2024): 100°F (38°C) high · 38°F (3°C) low
- Wettest month: June (11 rainy days) · Sunniest: January (13.3 h sun/day)
- Climate type: Mediterranean
- Annual swing: 8°C between the average warmest and coolest month · day to night: 8°C
- Average humidity: 75%
Temperatures through the year
Warmth peaks in January: highs of 79°F (26°C), lows of 64°F (18°C). July bottoms out at 62°F (16°C) in daylight, 50°F (10°C) after dark. Precipitation concentrates in June - 4.9 inches (124 mm) on 11 days - and thins out by February.
Rain, sun and snow
Sunshine averages 10.7 hours a day over the year - sunnier than roughly 88% of the cities we track, peaking in January at 13.3 hours. Between the average January and the average July lie 8°C, a narrower spread than about 79% of the cities we track. Across the gridded 2015-2024 daily record, the highest daily maximum for this location was 100°F (38°C) and the lowest daily minimum 38°F (3°C).
How Cape Town compares
- Cape Town sits close to the middle of our dataset on most measures: 63°F (17°C) as an annual average, 23.6 inches (600 mm) of precipitation and 10.7 hours of sun a day.
Ranked against every city in our dataset, each measured on the same ten-year window.
Monthly climate table
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Precipitation | Sunshine | Daylight | Wet-day chance | Humidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79° | 64° | 3 | 0.6 in | 13.3 h/day | 14.2 h | 10% | 70% |
| February | 78° | 63° | 2 | 0.4 in | 12.2 h/day | 13.4 h | 8% | 70% |
| March | 75° | 61° | 4 | 1.2 in | 10.9 h/day | 12.4 h | 13% | 75% |
| April | 72° | 58° | 5 | 1.3 in | 9.9 h/day | 11.3 h | 16% | 74% |
| May | 67° | 54° | 7 | 2.3 in | 8.7 h/day | 10.4 h | 23% | 80% |
| June | 63° | 51° | 11 | 4.9 in | 8.0 h/day | 9.9 h | 38% | 79% |
| July | 62° | 50° | 10 | 4.5 in | 8.4 h/day | 10.1 h | 33% | 79% |
| August | 62° | 50° | 10 | 3.2 in | 9.0 h/day | 10.9 h | 34% | 79% |
| September | 64° | 52° | 8 | 2.0 in | 10.0 h/day | 11.9 h | 26% | 76% |
| October | 70° | 56° | 6 | 1.4 in | 11.9 h/day | 13.0 h | 19% | 72% |
| November | 72° | 58° | 5 | 0.9 in | 12.5 h/day | 13.9 h | 17% | 70% |
| December | 75° | 61° | 5 | 1.1 in | 13.1 h/day | 14.4 h | 17% | 71% |
Cape Town month by month
Average high and low for each month, with the bar showing where it sits in Cape Town's year (left is the coldest night, right is the warmest afternoon).
January
- Rain
- 3 days
- Sunshine
- 13.3 h
- Daylight
- 14.2 h
February
- Rain
- 2 days
- Sunshine
- 12.2 h
- Daylight
- 13.4 h
March
- Rain
- 4 days
- Sunshine
- 10.9 h
- Daylight
- 12.4 h
April
- Rain
- 5 days
- Sunshine
- 9.9 h
- Daylight
- 11.3 h
May
- Rain
- 7 days
- Sunshine
- 8.7 h
- Daylight
- 10.4 h
June
- Rain
- 11 days
- Sunshine
- 8.0 h
- Daylight
- 9.9 h
July
- Rain
- 10 days
- Sunshine
- 8.4 h
- Daylight
- 10.1 h
August
- Rain
- 10 days
- Sunshine
- 9.0 h
- Daylight
- 10.9 h
September
- Rain
- 8 days
- Sunshine
- 10.0 h
- Daylight
- 11.9 h
October
- Rain
- 6 days
- Sunshine
- 11.9 h
- Daylight
- 13.0 h
November
- Rain
- 5 days
- Sunshine
- 12.5 h
- Daylight
- 13.9 h
December
- Rain
- 5 days
- Sunshine
- 13.1 h
- Daylight
- 14.4 h
Warmer places to go, by month: January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December
Seasons in Cape Town
Spring (September through November)
Spring brings comfortable warmth here - highs near 69°F (20°C), nights near 55°F (13°C), and expect showers on roughly 19 days across the season. Daylight is generous - around 11.5 hours of sun a day.
Summer (December through February)
Summer is mild and warm here - highs near 77°F (25°C), nights near 63°F (17°C), and rain comes on about 11 days over the three months. Daylight is generous - around 12.9 hours of sun a day.
Fall (March through May)
Through fall, Cape Town is pleasantly warm: 71°F (22°C) by day, 58°F (14°C) after dark, and rain comes on about 16 days over the three months.
Winter (June through August)
Winter is crisp but comfortable here - highs near 62°F (17°C), nights near 50°F (10°C), and rain falls on around 32 of the 90 days.
Climate questions, answered
How often does it rain in Cape Town?
Is Cape Town hot in summer?
What should I wear in Cape Town?
How humid does Cape Town get?
Best time to visit Cape Town
January to May and September is the sweet spot for Cape Town - the dry season is running but the afternoons are still bearable. Expect 73°F (23°C) in the afternoon and around 5 days of rain in a typical month of it. For the same question asked the other way round, see where else is warm in January.
Pack for Cape Town with rain gear if you travel around June. January nights average 64°F (18°C), so evenings rarely match the afternoons.
Cape Town temperature records (2015-2024)
Derived from ERA5 reanalysis data, 2015–2024. Official station records may differ. Need the precipitation in other units? The mm-to-inches rainfall converter handles it.