What to Wear in Cape Town
South Africa · 9 monthly packing guides
Cape Town runs Mediterranean-climate Southern Hemisphere — winter rainy season May through September (the opposite of Northern Hemisphere); summer dry December-February. The Cape design register: Imprint by Mash (Cape Town designer Mash T, contemporary South African); Sindiso Khumalo (Cape Town-founded, internationally known for sustainable design — H&M and Net-a-Porter collaborations); ALC (Cape Town contemporary); Country Road (Australian-South African mid-tier ubiquitous); Magents menswear; Adriaan Kuiters; Cape Storm (South African outdoor); Mr Price; Woolworths department store. Stellenbosch wine country (45 minutes east) for Pinotage (the South African crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, 1925). Hermanus (90 minutes east) for Southern Right Whale watching June-November. Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, Bo-Kaap heritage colorful houses, Boulders Beach penguins, Cape Point. The Cape Doctor (Atlantic southeasterly wind) cools afternoons 4-6°C / 39-43°F.
Choose your month below to match your layers and shoes to the weather. Across the months covered, average daily lows reach 8°C / 46°F in July; average highs reach 28°C / 82°F in January.
Compare Cape Town by month
Monthly averages help compare packing needs; check the forecast before departure. Only months with published guides are listed. See the source notes below for station and measurement differences. Scroll across the table to see all weather details on a small screen.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January packing guide | 17°C / 63°F | 28°C / 82°F | 4 | 14h 10m |
| February packing guide | 16°C / 61°F | 28°C / 82°F | 4 | 13h 20m |
| May packing guide | 12°C / 54°F | 19°C / 66°F | 9 | 10h 50m |
| June packing guide | 10°C / 50°F | 17°C / 63°F | 11 | 10h 5m |
| July packing guide | 8°C / 46°F | 17°C / 63°F | 11 | 10h 10m |
| August packing guide | 9°C / 48°F | 18°C / 64°F | 11 | 11h 10m |
| October packing guide | 11°C / 52°F | 23°C / 73°F | 7 | 12h 50m |
| November packing guide | 13°C / 55°F | 25°C / 77°F | 6 | 13h 55m |
| December packing guide | 15°C / 59°F | 27°C / 81°F | 4 | 14h 25m |
Choose your Cape Town packing list
Cape Town in January: 28°C / 82°F afternoons, 17°C / 63°F nights, the windiest month on NOAA's airport record, and the Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade to open the year.
In this capsule: Navy hooded packable shell; Cream oversized long-sleeve shirt, tonal palm embroidery; Navy-and-ecru striped ribbed cotton tank.
Cape Town in February: 28°C / 82°F afternoons, 16°C / 61°F nights, the hottest month on NOAA's airport record, and about three fewer days of hard wind than January.
In this capsule: Sand cotton-twill Harrington jacket, stand collar; Washed-black oversized shirt dress, long sleeves; Cream cropped cotton tee, rolled sleeves.
Cape Town in May is southern-hemisphere autumn — 19°C / 66°F afternoons, 12°C / 54°F mornings, 9 rain days. The Cape winter rainy season begins.
In this capsule: Mid-weight wool sweater or cardigan — Country Road, ALC; Cotton/wool blend long-sleeve base; Packable rain shell — Patagonia, Cape Storm (South African).
Cape Town in June is southern-hemisphere winter starting — 17°C / 63°F afternoons, 10°C / 50°F mornings, 11 rain days. Mild by Northern Hemisphere standards.
In this capsule: Mid-weight wool sweater — Country Road, ALC, Quince; Cotton/wool blend long-sleeve base; Packable rain shell — Patagonia, Cape Storm.
Cape Town in July is peak southern-hemisphere winter — 17°C / 63°F afternoons, 8°C / 46°F mornings, 11 rain days. Whale watching at peak; mild by Northern Hemisphere standards.
In this capsule: Mid-weight wool sweater — Country Road, ALC; Cotton/wool blend long-sleeve base; Packable rain shell — Patagonia, Cape Storm.
Cape Town in August is late southern-hemisphere winter — 18°C / 64°F afternoons, 9°C / 48°F nights, 11 rain days. Spring approaches; whale watching continues.
In this capsule: Mid-weight wool sweater — Country Road, ALC; Cotton/wool blend long-sleeve base; Packable rain shell — Patagonia, Cape Storm.
Cape Town in October: 23°C / 73°F afternoons against 11°C / 52°F nights — spring, and the Cape Doctor starting to blow.
In this capsule: Sand packable windbreaker, hip length; Ivory long-sleeve tee and pale blue cotton blouse; Plain white cotton tee.
Cape Town in November: 25°C / 77°F afternoons, 13°C / 55°F nights, and a sunset that moves from about 7:15pm to about 7:40pm.
In this capsule: Taupe satin cropped windbreaker, zip front, balloon sleeves; Plain cream leather low-top sneakers; Sage cotton-linen tee.
Cape Town in December: 27°C / 81°F afternoons, 15°C / 59°F nights, and sunset at about 8pm by New Year's Eve.
In this capsule: Cornflower-blue packable hooded shell; Relaxed white linen button-down; Butter-yellow tiered sundress, V-neck, tie waist.
Climate sources by month
These credits follow the source recorded on each monthly guide. Climate figures inform the packing advice; outfit combinations and illustrations are editorial suggestions.
- January: NOAA NCEI · Cape Town International · 1991–2020 normalsSAWS operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its 68816099999 global-summary-of-the-day and global-hourly records. Recorded per month because the rest of this city's pages are sourced differently.
- February: NOAA NCEI · Cape Town International · 1991–2020 normalsSAWS operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its 68816099999 global-summary-of-the-day record, 30 complete Februarys for temperature; rain comes from the 11 Februarys whose real daily reports cover at least 90% of the days (GSOD writes an unreported day as 0.00 flagged I), counted at 0.01in or more. Recorded per month because the rest of this city's pages are sourced differently.
- May: SAWS · monthly climate averages
- June: SAWS · monthly climate averages
- July: SAWS · monthly climate averages
- August: SAWS · monthly climate averages
- October: NOAA NCEI · Cape Town International · 1991–2020 normalsSAWS operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its 68816099999 global-summary-of-the-day record. Recorded per month because the rest of this city's pages are sourced differently.
- November: NOAA NCEI · Cape Town International · 1991–2020 normalsSAWS operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its 68816099999 global-summary-of-the-day record. Recorded per month because the rest of this city's pages are sourced differently.
- December: NOAA NCEI · Cape Town International · 1991–2020 normalsSAWS operates the station; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its 68816099999 global-summary-of-the-day record. Recorded per month because the rest of this city's pages are sourced differently.
Frequently asked questions
Start with your travel month. The 9 published guides cover January, February, May, June, July, August, October, November, December. Compare the average low as well as the high: among these months, July has the lowest average low at 8°C / 46°F, while January has the highest average high at 28°C / 82°F. For a trip spanning two months, read both lists before deciding which layers to bring.
No. They are monthly climate averages for planning, not temperatures promised for a particular day or hour. Check the local forecast close to departure and adjust your layers and rain protection. The source, station and averaging period are listed for each month where recorded; different stations or rain-day definitions can affect comparisons.
No. Treat the capsule as a set of clothing functions: walking shoes, a base outfit, weather protection and any change for dinner or a venue's dress code. Start with equivalents you own. Adjust quantities to your trip length and laundry access; the illustrations are outfit suggestions, not a shopping requirement.