Winter 2026 is over: did the rains fill the dams?

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October 21, 2026

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Data Stories · Water & Dams · October 2026

Winter 2026 is over: did the rains fill the dams?

The rainy season ends on 31 October, and Cape Town's six large dams are going into its last days at 74 percent, nearly sixteen points lower than a year ago and the lowest mid-October level since 2017. In this article we look at how the season unfolded, why a single storm in May did almost all of the filling, and what the present level means for the summer ahead.

13 Apr · 44.8%
→
18 May · 70.8%
→
24 Jul · 78.6%
→
19 Oct · 74.0%

Where the dams stand Today's dam levels

Photo: Petrismit, Theewaterskloof Dam, June 2018, CC BY-SA 4.0

Every year, between April and October, Cape Town waits to see whether the winter rain will fill the dams far enough to carry the city through the long, dry summer. The best single measure of this is the combined storage of the Western Cape Water Supply System, which is made up of six dams with a total capacity of 898 221 megalitres and which the City of Cape Town reports every week.

This article is part of our Water and the dams series, in which we have followed the dams since the end of 2025. Here we trace the 2026 season from its low point in April to the last reading of the rainy season, using the City's own tables, the rainfall record of the South African Weather Service and our archive of the daily readings, and we name the source of each figure beside it so that every one of them can be checked.

01 · Where the dams stand on 21 October 2026

The winter rains did not fill the dams

In the week of 19 October 2026 the six major dams held 74.0 percent of their capacity, compared with 89.7 percent in the same week of 2025, 99.3 percent in 2024 and 100.5 percent in 2023. The City has said that dam levels typically need to reach 80 percent or more by the end of the rainy season if restrictions are to be avoided, and this year that level was never reached. The highest reading of the season was 78.6 percent on 24 July, and apart from one week in late September the level has been falling ever since.

Almost all of the filling took place within a fortnight in May. After the storm of 10 to 12 May, combined storage rose from about 49 percent on 6 May to 70.8 percent on 18 May, whereas the ten weeks that followed added less than eight points, partly because July was the driest at Cape Town International Airport since its records began in 1958. In early October the City moved to the Drought Response step of its drought framework and asked households to use at least 10 percent less water through the summer. Whether formal restrictions follow is for the national Department of Water and Sanitation to decide, and it is expected to do so in November, once the hydrological year has closed on 31 October.

74.0%Combined storage, week of 19 October 2026

89.7%Same week in 2025

78.6%The 2026 peak, on 24 July

867Million litres used a day, week to 19 October

Source: City of Cape Town, This week's dam levels (weekly table dated 19 October 2026 and its Weekly Water Dashboard); peak from the City's daily readings archived on our dam levels page; the 80 percent level from the City's statement of 2 October 2026 · Last refreshed 21 October 2026

02 · How the season unfolded

How the 2026 season unfolded

The nine stops below follow the season from the lowest autumn level since 2018 to the last week of the rainy season. You can swipe through them or use the arrows underneath.

13 April 2026

44.8%

The low point in April

After a summer in which the city's use reached 1 073 million litres a day in February, the dams fell to 44.8 percent on 13 April, the lowest autumn level since 2018. By 4 May they had recovered only to 48.3 percent, which was more than eleven points below the same week of 2025.

10 to 12 May 2026

70.8% by 18 May

The May storm, which did most of the filling

An Orange Level 8 cut-off low brought 69 mm to Ceres, 52 mm to Kirstenbosch and 24 mm to Cape Town in the 24 hours to 08:00 on 11 May, with gusts of up to 117 km/h, according to the Weather Service bulletins we logged in our storm updates. Six people died and 83 184 people across the province were affected, and the City described the storm as a one-in-20 to one-in-200 year event in several catchments.

In the fortnight that followed, combined storage rose from about 49 percent on 6 May to 70.8 percent on 18 May, a gain of more than twenty points and more than the rest of the winter would add.

22 May to June 2026

Early drought caution lifted

Rain continues into June

Once the dams had passed 70 percent, the City moved its dashboard back from "early drought caution" to "water wise" on 22 May. The rain continued into June, and runoff from the May storm kept the dams rising slowly through the first half of winter.

July 2026

14.4 mm at the airport

The driest July since 1958

Only three weak cold fronts reached the south-western Cape during the month, and Cape Town International Airport measured just 14.4 mm, about 16 percent of its July average and the lowest July total since the station's records began in 1958, below the previous record of 18.0 mm set in 1987. The Weather Service said that several other stations in the region also recorded their lowest rainfall since records began.

Even so, the dams reached their highest level of the season, 78.6 percent, on 24 July, because water from the May storm was still draining into them.

3 to 6 August 2026

78.1% vs 84.8% in 2025

The mayor asks for more rain

The City's weekly table for 3 August put the dams at 78.1 percent, against 84.8 percent a year earlier. Speaking to Eyewitness News, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that the city would only know the shape of the season once the hydrological year ended in October, that it was hoping for storms in August and September as had happened in 2023, and that it "definitely" needed more rain before October.

7 to 16 September 2026

75.5% vs 92.4% in 2025

The City considers restrictions

On 7 September the dams stood at 75.5 percent, compared with 92.4 percent in the same week of 2025, a gap of almost seventeen points. The City said that its Water Restrictions Committee was meeting regularly and that restrictions were "currently being considered" in the light of dam levels, demand, peak summer use and the rainfall forecast, although its 2026 Water Outlook did not show an immediate risk to supply.

21 to 27 September 2026

76.6%

A brief rise in late September

Rain in late September lifted the weekly reading from 75.2 to 76.6 percent, the only week-on-week gain since the July peak. The improvement did not last, however, and by 1 October the level had fallen back to 75.7 percent.

1 to 2 October 2026

75.7% · 895 Ml a day

A request to use 10 percent less

In its statement of 2 October the City gave the latest figures: the dams were at 75.7 percent, 16 percent lower than a year earlier, the city was using 895 million litres a day against a limit of 860 million, and dam levels would typically need to reach 80 percent by the end of the rainy season to avoid restrictions. It asked households to use at least 10 percent less water through the summer and into next winter, and Alderman Zahid Badroodien said that although the 2026 Water Outlook showed no immediate risk to supply, the potential for restrictions was higher than in previous years.

19 to 21 October 2026

74.0% · 73.8% on 21 Oct

The City moves to Drought Response

The last weekly table of the rainy season showed 74.0 percent, 0.9 points lower than the week before, with 867 million litres a day being drawn from the system. The City's Weekly Water Dashboard has moved to its "Drought Response" step and explains that rainfall since May 2026 has been below expected levels, that storage is about 15 percent lower than at the same time last year, and that current forecasts do not point to any significant rainfall in the near future. The daily reading on 21 October was 73.8 percent.

Combined storage, April to October 2026

Selected weekly readings of the six major dams, in percent of capacity. The dashed line marks the 80 percent level that the City says the dams typically need to reach by the end of the rainy season.

2026 weekly reading80 percent at season's end

Source: City of Cape Town daily and weekly dam tables (13 Apr 44.8%, 4 May 48.3%, 6 May 49.2%, 18 May 70.8%, 24 Jul 78.6%, 3 Aug 78.1%, 7 Sep 75.5%, 21 Sep 76.6%, 1 Oct 75.7%, 19 Oct 74.0%), as archived on our dam levels page and in Is there a water shortage in Cape Town?; the 80 percent level from the City's statement of 2 October 2026 · Last refreshed 21 October 2026

03 · Each dam

How each dam compares with last year

Theewaterskloof, which holds more than half of the system's water, is about nine points lower than a year ago. Most of the overall gap of nearly sixteen points, however, comes from Voëlvlei and Steenbras Lower, both of which are more than forty points below where they stood in October 2025.

Theewaterskloof

Capacity 480 188 Ml (City of Cape Town) · 53% of the system

202673.9%

202583.3%

-9.4 points

Voëlvlei

Capacity 164 095 Ml (City of Cape Town) · 18% of the system

202656.3%

202599.3%

-43.0 points

Berg River

Capacity 130 010 Ml (City of Cape Town) · 14% of the system

202693.2%

202599.8%

-6.6 points

Wemmershoek

Capacity 58 644 Ml (City of Cape Town) · 7% of the system

202682.1%

202585.2%

-3.1 points

Steenbras Lower

Capacity 33 517 Ml (City of Cape Town) · 4% of the system

202648.3%

202593.3%

-45.0 points

Steenbras Upper

Capacity 31 767 Ml (City of Cape Town) · 4% of the system

2026100.2%

2025100.0%

+0.2 points

Source: City of Cape Town, This week's dam levels, weekly table dated 19 October 2026 with its "% 2025" column; capacities from the same table; we calculated each dam's share of the system from them · Last refreshed 21 October 2026

Steenbras Upper is full because it serves as the upper reservoir of the City's pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, which supplements Cape Town's electricity supply at times of peak demand, so its level says little about the rainfall. The dams that show the season most clearly are Voëlvlei and Steenbras Lower, which were at or near full in October 2025 and are now only about half full. Voëlvlei has a small catchment of its own and is filled mainly by canals from the Klein Berg, Leeu and Vier-en-Twintig rivers, and a scheme to add a further 40 million litres a day to it from the Berg River has slipped from a planned completion in 2023 to an expected date of 2030, according to the City's 2026 Water Outlook as reported by GroundUp.

04 · Since 2012

Mid-October levels since 2012

Because mid-October marks the end of the filling season, one reading from each year is enough to show the longer pattern. This year's level is the lowest since 2017: only 2016 and 2017 ended their winters lower, and 2015 ended at the same 74 percent.

80%

101

100

101

100

89.7

74.0

20121314151617181920212223242526

Source: 2012 to 2024, the mid-October weekly reading in the City of Cape Town Open Data Portal dataset "Dam levels Jan 2012 to April 2026", as charted on our dam levels page and in Is there a water shortage in Cape Town?; 2025 and 2026 from the City's weekly table for 19 October 2026 and its "% 2025" column. Readings above 100 percent are the City's own: a dam can hold slightly more than its rated capacity when it spills · Last refreshed 21 October 2026

This year is sometimes compared with 2017, but the two years are very different. In mid-October 2017 the dams held 37 percent and the city was four months away from Level 6B restrictions of 50 litres per person per day, whereas at 74 percent this year's summer begins with twice as much water. The more worrying comparison is with 2015, which also ended its winter at 74 percent and turned out to be the first of the three dry years that led to Day Zero. We cannot yet say whether 2026 will be a single poor season or the first of several.

05 · The summer ahead

What this means for the summer

Very little rain falls on the catchments between November and April, so the water in the dams at the end of October, less what the city draws over the summer, is roughly what will be left by April.

867 Ml a day

Where use stands now

Average total daily water use in the week to 19 October, including supply to Stellenbosch and Drakenstein, against the City's 860 million litre winter limit. Last summer peaked at 1 073 million litres a day in February 2026.

148 litres

Per person, per day

The City's estimate for the week to 19 October. Over the last twelve months the average was about 160 litres. The City asks households to cut use by at least 10 percent through summer and into next winter.

48 points

What last summer drew down

From 92.4 percent in the first week of September 2025 to 44.8 percent on 13 April 2026. If the dams fell by a similar amount from 74 percent, they would end next autumn below 30 percent, which is why the 10 percent saving the City is asking for matters so much.

November

Who decides on restrictions

The national Department of Water and Sanitation sets restrictions on the Western Cape Water Supply System after the hydrological year ends on 31 October, usually in November. The City's own Water Restrictions Committee can act on the city's supply before that.

Source: City of Cape Town Weekly Water Dashboard, 19 October 2026 (867 Ml a day, 148 litres a person, about 160 litres over twelve months); the 860 Ml limit and the 10 percent request from the City's statement of 2 October 2026; the February 2026 peak and the 2025 to 2026 drawdown from our October 2026 water update and the City's statement of 11 September 2026; the November decision from the City's 2 October statement and the Department's 2025 practice · Last refreshed 21 October 2026

The City's drought framework has five steps, each linked to the level of storage the City projects, and the dashboard is currently on the third of them.

1Water wise: normal use, with the usual saving advice.
2Early drought caution: the step the City was on from October 2025 until the May storm, and again in late August.
3Drought response: in force since early October 2026, covering demand management, infrastructure repairs and discussions with the national department about formal restrictions.
4Accelerated drought response.
5Emergency drought response, the level of measures taken during Day Zero in 2018.

In the longer term the City is relying on its New Water Programme, which promised 300 million litres a day from desalination, groundwater and the reuse of treated water after Day Zero, but none of it will help this summer. GroundUp's reading of the 2026 Water Outlook found that the 70 million litre desalination plant has been delayed by about five years after Transnet's port expansion took its site at Paarden Eiland, that work on the Atlantis aquifer has been held up by cable theft, and that the Berg River to Voëlvlei scheme has been pushed back to 2030. For the summer of 2026 to 2027 the dams are therefore the supply, and the only thing that can change quickly is how much water the city uses.

The Weather Service expects a hot summer. In its July statement it said that the likelihood of a warmer-than-normal summer over the Western Cape was rising, and the City's dashboard notes that current forecasts show no significant rain ahead. A hot summer usually means more garden watering and more evaporation from the dams, and it also leaves the mountain dry, so we follow the fire season in our wildfire series.

The City's advice to households is straightforward. The most important step is to use at least 10 percent less water than last summer, and the City also asks residents to report burst municipal pipes as soon as they see them, on 086 010 3089 (option 2), by SMS to 31373 or on WhatsApp to 060 018 1505, and to ask for a reference number. We will keep publishing the City's readings on our dam levels page every morning that the City updates them, and we will add an update to this series once the national department has decided on restrictions in November.

06 · FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Are there water restrictions in Cape Town right now?

No formal restrictions were in force on 21 October 2026. The City's dashboard is on the "Drought Response" step of its framework, under which households are asked to cut their use by at least 10 percent. Formal restrictions on the Western Cape Water Supply System are set by the national Department of Water and Sanitation once the hydrological year ends on 31 October, usually in November, and the City's own Water Restrictions Committee said in September that restrictions were being considered.

How full are Cape Town's dams compared with last year?

In the week of 19 October 2026 the six major dams held 74.0 percent of their capacity, compared with 89.7 percent in the same week of 2025, 99.3 percent in 2024 and 100.5 percent in 2023. The daily reading on 21 October was slightly lower, at 73.8 percent.

Is this another Day Zero?

Not on the current figures. In mid-October 2017 the dams held 37 percent, and in June 2017 they fell as low as 19.6 percent, so at 74 percent the system begins this summer with about twice as much water as it had in 2017. The bigger risk is a second dry winter in 2027, which no forecast can yet confirm or rule out. The City's 2026 Water Outlook found no immediate risk to supply, but it said that the potential for restrictions was higher than in previous years.

Why did a wet May not fill the dams?

Mainly because very little rain followed it. The storm of 10 to 12 May raised storage by more than twenty points in two weeks, to 70.8 percent on 18 May, but the ten weeks after that added less than eight points, July was the driest at Cape Town International Airport since 1958, and the level has been falling since it peaked at 78.6 percent on 24 July.

Is the tap water still safe?

Yes. Low dam levels affect how much water is available, not its quality, and our tap water test results explain how the City monitors its drinking water.

Where can I follow the dam levels?

Our dam levels page reads the City's table every morning and shows each dam, the change from the previous week and the comparison with last year. The City itself publishes the weekly table and its Weekly Water Dashboard on Mondays.

Sources

City of Cape Town: This week's dam levelsDaily table for 21 October 2026, weekly table for 19 October 2026 with the previous week and 2025 columns, dam capacities, and the Weekly Water Dashboard of 19 October 2026 (867 Ml a day, 148 litres a person, "Drought Response" status)
City of Cape Town media statement, 2 October 2026 (republished by Politicsweb)75.7 percent on 1 October, 895 Ml a day against the 860 Ml limit, the 80 percent level needed to avoid restrictions, the 10 percent request, the burst-pipe numbers, Alderman Zahid Badroodien quoted
City of Cape Town media statement, 11 September 2026 (republished by Infrastructure News)75.5 percent on 7 September against 92.4 percent in the same week of 2025
Cape Argus, 16 September 2026The Water Restrictions Committee and the City's wording on restrictions and the 2026 Water Outlook
Eyewitness News, 6 August 2026Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on the need for more rain before October
South African Weather Service statement on July 2026 rainfall, 5 August 2026 (republished by George Herald)14.4 mm at Cape Town International Airport, the lowest July since 1958, 16 percent of average, the 1987 record, the warmer-summer outlook
GroundUp, 31 August 2026The 2026 Water Outlook on the New Water Programme: desalination delayed, the Atlantis aquifer, Berg River to Voëlvlei now expected in 2030
capetowndata.com: Is there a water shortage in Cape Town? October 2026 updateThe daily readings of 13 April, 18 May and 24 July 2026, the February 2026 consumption peak, the drought framework and the mid-October series since 2012
capetowndata.com: The current storm updates in Cape Town, May 2026Rainfall, wind, deaths and people affected in the storm of 10 to 12 May, and the 4 and 6 May dam readings
capetowndata.com: Cape Town's driest July since 1958The July rainfall record station by station and the 31 July dam reading
capetowndata.com: Dam levelsThe City's daily readings since 2012, archived and charted; the "Dam levels Jan 2012 to April 2026" dataset of the City's Open Data Portal
Wikipedia: Steenbras Dam and Voëlvlei DamThe Steenbras pumped-storage scheme and the canals that feed Voëlvlei
Wikimedia Commons: Sunset at Theewaterskloof DamPhoto by Petrismit, 28 June 2018, CC BY-SA 4.0

Source: City of Cape Town dam tables and Weekly Water Dashboard, City media statements, South African Weather Service · Last refreshed 21 October 2026

This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed and verified by humans.

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