How to Read the Cape Town weather

More Cape Town Weather Tips

Don't miss my page offering

Two Cape Town weather rules to help you select the perfect beach or day's entertainment.

1. Wind direction is totally where it's at. Get your bearings and you'll soon be jabbering about 'westerlies' and 'south easters' like a pro! And avoiding the strong coastal gales, too.

2. Mountains are a great windbreak! The weather may well be different on the other side of the mountain! This is the beauty of being on a mountainous peninsula - it's worth trying the other side before you write the day off as 'bad weather'.

What you need to remember

Westerly winds tend to bring cooler, misty weather in summer, or rain (spectacular storms actually) in winter.

So if you're staying in Camps Bay and there's cloud hot-footing it in off the ocean, chances are it's a day for the other (False Bay) side of town!

The False Bay peninsula coastline is on the eastern side.

The South Easter (known to many as the Cape Doctor) is the prevailing summer wind and it clears the weather up. And it can get pretty hairy. Here's some extra information on Cape Town wind speed and direction .

To avoid a sandblasting on a beach when the South Easter is blowing, head for the Atlantic side preferably Llandudno, Glen Beach or Clifton. Clifton is super-sheltered.