Climate - Cape Town Weather

Cape Town is the only region in South Africa that boasts a mild Mediterranean climate where summers are hot, windy and dry and winters are cold and wet. The weather is largely influenced by its close proximity to the cold Atlantic and the warm Indian Oceans, as well as the Table Mountain range that acts as the spine of the Peninsula.

Summer

Weather conditions can differ from one side of Table Mountain to the other. In the long, hot summer months from November to February, the Atlantic Seaboard suburbs and the City have to endure very hot days, as at the height of summer the sun sets well after 8pm - in fact, the sun sets at around 9pm during the summer solstice. Average day time temperatures during the summer range from between 25 to 35 degrees centigrade.

The south-easter wind, also known as the Cape Doctor as it blows all the toxicity and pollution away from the city, is particularly strong in December and January and can have a negative impact on a day at the beach!

One of the best times to visit the Cape is either in spring or autumn when the south-easter has dropped and the heat is not as intense. Beautiful, mild sunny days are prevalent right up until the end of May, early June.

Winter

The Cape winter is defined by many cold fronts, roaring north westerly winds and very heavy rainfall. Freezing polar air sweeps in from the south, lowering the average day time temperatures to between 2 and 20 degrees centigrade.

It is a time of short days and long windy nights where the sun sets early and the sun rises close to 8am in the dark mornings of winter. Cape Town locals spend their winter days enjoying a hike, a climb or a mountain bike trail.