Sunshine hours in Cape Town: 3,115 hours a year, month by month

Cape Town gets 3,115 hours of sunshine a year on average (8.5 a day). Sunniest month: January with 352 hours. Every month, measured 1991–2020.

• Cape Town gets 3,115 hours of sunshine a year on average, 8.5 a day – 71% of the astronomically possible. The sunniest month is January with 352 hours (11.4 a day), the dullest June with 176 (5.9 a day).
• Number 8 of 20 large cities in South Africa.
• Nearest weather station: Cape Town Airport, 17 km away – 1991–2020 average, Deutscher Wetterdienst.

Sunshine hours month by month

• January: 352 h · 11.4 h a day · 80 %
• February: 304 h · 10.9 h a day · 82 %
• March: 290 h · 9.4 h a day · 76 %
• April: 240 h · 8.0 h a day · 71 %
• May: 197 h · 6.4 h a day · 61 %
• June: 176 h · 5.9 h a day · 59 %
• July: 197 h · 6.4 h a day · 63 %
• August: 206 h · 6.6 h a day · 61 %
• September: 228 h · 7.6 h a day · 64 %
• October: 284 h · 9.2 h a day · 71 %
• November: 303 h · 10.1 h a day · 73 %
• December: 338 h · 10.9 h a day · 76 %

Questions about sunshine hours

• How many hours of sunshine does Cape Town get a year? On average over 1991–2020 the sun shines in Cape Town for 3,115 hours a year – 8.5 hours a day and 71% of the time the sun is above the horizon.
• What is the sunniest month in Cape Town? January, with 352 hours of sunshine, 11.4 a day on average. The least sun comes in June: 176 hours, 5.9 a day.
• Is Cape Town a sunny city? Among the 20 large cities in South Africa with measurements, Cape Town ranks number 8.
• Where do the figures come from? From the 1991–2020 climate normals of Deutscher Wetterdienst: Germany from its own station network, the rest of the world from the CLIMAT reports of the national weather services. Cape Town uses the station Cape Town Airport.
• What counts as an hour of sunshine? By the World Meteorological Organization's definition the sun is shining once its direct radiation exceeds 120 watts per square metre. Just after sunrise and before sunset it is often too weak – which is why even deserts never reach 100%.

The sunniest large cities: United Kingdom

• 1. Southend-on-Sea: 1,846 h a year
• 2. Southampton: 1,780 h a year
• 3. Norwich: 1,719 h a year
• 4. London: 1,675 h a year
• 5. Plymouth: 1,673 h a year
• 6. Bristol: 1,654 h a year
• 7. Swansea: 1,644 h a year
• 8. Sheffield: 1,631 h a year
• 9. Edinburgh: 1,575 h a year
• 10. Birmingham: 1,490 h a year

The cloudiest large cities: United Kingdom

• 1. Glasgow: 1,153 h a year
• 2. Belfast: 1,372 h a year
• 3. Aberdeen: 1,448 h a year
• 4. Leeds: 1,488 h a year

The sunniest large cities in the world

• 1. Dubai: 3,610 h a year
• 2. Victoria de Durango: 3,573 h a year
• 3. Abu Dhabi: 3,522 h a year
• 4. Hermosillo: 3,479 h a year
• 5. Kassala: 3,451 h a year
• 6. Iranshahr: 3,410 h a year
• 7. Dammam: 3,391 h a year
• 8. Gaborone: 3,388 h a year
• 9. Zahedan: 3,386 h a year
• 10. Yazd: 3,381 h a year

The cloudiest large cities in the world

• 1. Chengdu: 962 h a year
• 2. Chongqing: 985 h a year
• 3. Sukabumi: 1,082 h a year
• 4. Glasgow: 1,153 h a year
• 5. Tanjung Pinang: 1,172 h a year
• 6. Medan: 1,201 h a year
• 7. Samarinda: 1,275 h a year
• 8. Sungai Penuh: 1,311 h a year
• 9. Limerick: 1,339 h a year
• 10. Huaihua: 1,352 h a year

• Data: Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), sunshine duration climate normals 1991–2020, CC BY 4.0. Possible hours: time between sunrise and sunset.