Cape Town weather in August
In August, Cape Town has daytime highs averaging 16 °C, nights around 9.5 °C, with 9.2 wet days, and a sea temperature of 15 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 16.4°C Average high
- 9.5°C Average low
- 9.2days Wet days
- 74mm Rainfall
- 14.5°C Sea temperature
- 11h Daylight
Daily temperatures through August
How August develops
Averages for the first, middle and last part of the month, from daily 1991–2020 normals. Chance of rain is the share of years in which that calendar day recorded more than 1 mm.
| Days | Avg high | Avg low | Chance of rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–10 August | 16.2 °C | 9.3 °C | 30 % |
| 11–20 August | 16.5 °C | 9.4 °C | 27 % |
| 21–31 August | 16.6 °C | 9.8 °C | 31 % |
What to expect
| Measure | Typical August | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 0.2 of 31 | 1 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0 of 31 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 9.2 of 31 | 30 % |
Conditions in August
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 13 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 26 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | 3.5 °C |
| Relative humidity | 80 % |
| Wind speed | 20 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 46 % |
Where Cape Town ranks in August
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| The coolest places in Africa in August | 1stof 50 | 16 °C |
| The coolest places in the world in August | 48thof 50 | 16 °C |
August compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| June | 16.8 °C | 92 mm | 50 % |
| July | 16.4 °C | 84 mm | 45 % |
| August | 16.4 °C | 74 mm | 46 % |
| September | 17.8 °C | 44 mm | 49 % |
| October | 20.2 °C | 32 mm | 42 % |
See all twelve months for Cape Town
- August is the 11th warmest month here.
- It is the 10th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 9th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 11 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 9.2 of 31 days — 30 % of the month.
- Nights are about 6.9 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest August day on record since 1991 reached 26 °C, 9.6 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 22 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in August
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 16 °C | 9.2 | 15 |
| Somerset West | 17 °C | 11 | 15 |
| Paarl | 18 °C | 10 | – |
| George | 17 °C | 8 | 16 |
QuestionsAugust in Cape Town, answered
How warm is Cape Town in August?
Daily highs average 16 °C and nights fall to about 9.5 °C, a spread of 6.9 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes August the 11th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Cape Town in August?
August averages 74 mm of rain, spread over about 9 of the 31 days — 30 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 46 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in August?
The sea averages 15 °C off Cape Town in August. Most people find water below 20 °C bracing and above 25 °C comfortable for a long swim; this figure is a monthly surface average, so a sheltered bay on a still afternoon can be warmer.
How long are the days in August?
Cape Town averages 11 hours between sunrise and sunset in August. Day length is computed from latitude and date, so it is exact rather than modelled — but it says nothing about how much of that time is sunny.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: daylight hours, beach and comfort scores, monthly rankings, threshold day counts, chance of a wet day by date, ten-day averages within the month. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.