Cape Town weather in September
In September, Cape Town has daytime highs averaging 18 °C, nights around 11 °C, with 7.1 wet days, and a sea temperature of 15 °C. Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
- 17.8°C Average high
- 10.7°C Average low
- 7.1days Wet days
- 44mm Rainfall
- 14.8°C Sea temperature
- 12h Daylight
Daily temperatures through September
How September 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 September | 17.1 °C | 10.4 °C | 27 % |
| 11–20 September | 18.0 °C | 10.8 °C | 23 % |
| 21–30 September | 18.2 °C | 10.9 °C | 23 % |
- Average highs rise from 17.1 °C early in September to 18.2 °C by the end of it.
What to expect
| Measure | Typical September | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| Days above 25 °C | 0.9 of 30 | 3 % |
| Days above 30 °C | 0.1 of 30 | 0 % |
| Days below 0 °C | 0 of 30 | 0 % |
| Days with more than 1 mm rain | 7.1 of 30 | 24 % |
Conditions in September
| Measure | Average |
|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 14 °C |
| Record high (1991–2020) | 33 °C |
| Record low (1991–2020) | 5.7 °C |
| Relative humidity | 78 % |
| Wind speed | 21 km/h |
| Cloud cover | 49 % |
Where Cape Town ranks in September
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| The coolest places in Africa in September | 1stof 50 | 18 °C |
September compared with the months around it
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
| November | 21.9 °C | 25 mm | 38 % |
See all twelve months for Cape Town
- September is the 9th warmest month here.
- It is the 8th driest month of the year.
- It ranks 10th for least cloud cover.
- Days last about 12 hours from sunrise to sunset.
- It rains on 7.1 of 30 days — 24 % of the month.
- Nights are about 7.1 °C cooler than the middle of the day.
- The hottest September day on record since 1991 reached 33 °C, 15 °C above the usual daytime high.
- Beach score: 32 / 100 — see how this is calculated.
Nearby destinations in September
| Destination | Avg high | Wet days | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 18 °C | 7.1 | 15 |
| Somerset West | 19 °C | 9 | 15 |
| Paarl | 20 °C | 8 | – |
| George | 18 °C | 8 | 17 |
QuestionsSeptember in Cape Town, answered
How warm is Cape Town in September?
Daily highs average 18 °C and nights fall to about 11 °C, a spread of 7.1 °C between afternoon and dawn. That makes September the 9th warmest month of the year here.
Does it rain much in Cape Town in September?
September averages 44 mm of rain, spread over about 7 of the 30 days — 24 % of the month. Cloud cover averages 49 % of the sky.
Is the sea warm enough to swim in September?
The sea averages 15 °C off Cape Town in September. 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 September?
Cape Town averages 12 hours between sunrise and sunset in September. 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.