Cape Town's six major dams are holding just 74.9% of total capacity this week — a steep fall from 90.7% at the same point last year.
Combined system · Data as of 12 October 2026
74.9%
672,658 ML stored of 898,221 ML total capacity.
▼15.8 pts vs 12 October 2025 (90.7%)
Key indicators · dam storage
Water stored
672.7 Gl
▼ 142.0 Gl vs last year
YoY gap
-15.8pts
vs same week 2025
Highest dam
96.6%
Steenbras Upper · was 98.7% in 2025
Lowest dam
48.4%
Steenbras Lower · was 94.5% in 2025
Rainfall — last 12 weeks
mm per week · 2026 vs 2025
Rainfall · October
13 mm
▼ 10 mm vs October 2025
Rainfall · last 12 weeks
96 mm
▼ 35 mm vs same period 2025
Weekly precipitation, Cape Town
2026 (this year)2025 (prior year)
Over the last 12 weeks, Cape Town has received 35 mm less rainfall than the same period in 2025 — a 27% deficit.
Weekly trend — how the gap widened
System total % · Jan–Apr 2026 vs 2025
Combined storage, week by week
2026 (this year)2025 (prior year)
The gap between the two years has widened steadily, from early in the year to a 15.8-point deficit this week. Cape Town is currently at 74.9% compared to 90.7% this time last year.