Climate and average weather in Ashburton
In Ashburton, the summers are mild, fairly dry, and partly cloudy and the winters are cool and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Ashburton typically varies from 3°C to 20°C, and is rarely below -1°C or above 26°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Ashburton for warm-weather activities are from early January to mid April and late November to late December.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 20°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 3°
- Wettest
- Nov
- 66 mm
- Driest
- Sep
- 49 mm
- Rain / yr
- 682 mm
- 109 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.7–15.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 106 m
- 43.9°S
- Clearest
- May
- 54% cloud
Ashburton is town in New Zealand's South Island.
- Air quality
- Good
- PM10 21.2 µg/m³ · 2012
- Density
- 569/km²
- people per km²
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Ashburton weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to mid April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Ashburton, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.9 months, from December 1 to March 30, with daily high temperatures above 18°C. The hottest month of the year in Ashburton is February, with an average high of 20°C and low of 12°C.
The cool season lasts 2.8 months, from May 30 to August 23, with daily high temperatures below 12°C. The coldest month of the year in Ashburton is July, with an average low of 3°C and high of 10°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
| Avg low (°C) | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 13 |
| Feb | 20 | 12 |
| Mar | 19 | 11 |
| Apr | 16 | 9 |
| May | 14 | 6 |
| Jun | 11 | 3 |
| Jul | 10 | 3 |
| Aug | 12 | 4 |
| Sep | 14 | 6 |
| Oct | 15 | 7 |
| Nov | 17 | 9 |
| Dec | 19 | 11 |
How hot and cold Ashburton really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -1°C (around July 4), with roughly 37 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
| Air high (°C) | 20 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| Air low (°C) | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 20 | 12 | 13 |
| Feb | 20 | 20 | 12 | 12 |
| Mar | 19 | 19 | 11 | 11 |
| Apr | 16 | 16 | 7 | 9 |
| May | 13 | 14 | 4 | 6 |
| Jun | 11 | 11 | 1 | 3 |
| Jul | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| Aug | 12 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
| Sep | 14 | 14 | 3 | 6 |
| Oct | 15 | 15 | 5 | 7 |
| Nov | 17 | 17 | 7 | 9 |
| Dec | 19 | 19 | 11 | 11 |
Average hourly temperature in Ashburton
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 20°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 3°C.
Ashburton weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20° / 13° | 58 | 9.2 | 14.9 | 6.4 |
| Feb | 20° / 12° | 51 | 7.3 | 13.8 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 19° / 11° | 51 | 7.4 | 12.4 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 16° / 9° | 59 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 5.2 |
| May | 14° / 6° | 52 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 4.1 |
| Jun | 11° / 3° | 58 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 2.7 |
| Jul | 10° / 3° | 57 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 12° / 4° | 58 | 9.4 | 10.2 | 3.1 |
| Sep | 14° / 6° | 49 | 8.7 | 11.7 | 4.1 |
| Oct | 15° / 7° | 58 | 10.7 | 13.2 | 4.6 |
| Nov | 17° / 9° | 66 | 10.8 | 14.5 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 19° / 11° | 66 | 11 | 15.2 | 5.8 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Ashburton gets about 682 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is some rain, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 3.7 months, from around Sep 23 to Jan 14, peaking in November at about 38% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Mar 19.
November is the wettest month by volume, with 66 mm over about 11 wet days; September is the driest, with 49 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 29 | 26 | 25 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 34 | 36 | 36 |
| Rain days | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 9 |
| Feb | 26 | 7 |
| Mar | 25 | 7 |
| Apr | 29 | 9 |
| May | 27 | 8 |
| Jun | 29 | 9 |
| Jul | 27 | 8 |
| Aug | 30 | 9 |
| Sep | 29 | 9 |
| Oct | 34 | 11 |
| Nov | 36 | 11 |
| Dec | 36 | 11 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Ashburton collects about 682 mm of rain across 109 wet days — roughly 57 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. November is the wettest month with 66 mm, while September is the driest at just 49 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 28% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 58 | 51 | 51 | 59 | 52 | 58 | 57 | 58 | 49 | 58 | 66 | 66 |
| Rain days | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 9 |
| Feb | 51 | 7 |
| Mar | 51 | 7 |
| Apr | 59 | 9 |
| May | 52 | 8 |
| Jun | 58 | 9 |
| Jul | 57 | 8 |
| Aug | 58 | 9 |
| Sep | 49 | 9 |
| Oct | 58 | 11 |
| Nov | 66 | 11 |
| Dec | 66 | 11 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Ashburton, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around March 12 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around September 29. The clearest month is May, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 55% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 5 and lasts for 4.2 months, ending around March 11. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 62% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 44 | 46 | 49 | 51 | 55 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 51 | 47 | 43 | 38 |
| Cloudier (%) | 56 | 54 | 51 | 49 | 45 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 49 | 53 | 57 | 62 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 56 |
| Feb | 46 | 54 |
| Mar | 49 | 51 |
| Apr | 51 | 49 |
| May | 55 | 45 |
| Jun | 53 | 47 |
| Jul | 52 | 48 |
| Aug | 51 | 49 |
| Sep | 51 | 49 |
| Oct | 47 | 53 |
| Nov | 43 | 57 |
| Dec | 38 | 62 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around December 14, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around June 15, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 10.8 | 9.5 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 11.7 | 13.2 | 14.5 | 15.2 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:14 | 6:53 | 7:31 | 8:10 | 8:45 | 9:11 | 9:08 | 8:32 | 7:36 | 6:41 | 6:01 | 5:51 |
| Sunset (PM) | 9:11 | 8:42 | 7:54 | 6:57 | 6:13 | 5:55 | 6:09 | 6:42 | 7:18 | 7:55 | 8:36 | 9:07 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.9 | 6:14 | 9:11 |
| Feb | 13.8 | 6:53 | 8:42 |
| Mar | 12.4 | 7:31 | 7:54 |
| Apr | 10.8 | 8:10 | 6:57 |
| May | 9.5 | 8:45 | 6:13 |
| Jun | 8.8 | 9:11 | 5:55 |
| Jul | 9.1 | 9:08 | 6:09 |
| Aug | 10.2 | 8:32 | 6:42 |
| Sep | 11.7 | 7:36 | 7:18 |
| Oct | 13.2 | 6:41 | 7:55 |
| Nov | 14.5 | 6:01 | 8:36 |
| Dec | 15.2 | 5:51 | 9:07 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Ashburton averages about 10 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 13 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.6 months, from around Mar 13 to Sep 30. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 12 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is December, down near 6 sunny days — about 51% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 8 | Mixed |
| Mar | 10 | Mixed |
| Apr | 10 | Mixed |
| May | 12 | Mixed |
| Jun | 12 | Mixed |
| Jul | 12 | Mixed |
| Aug | 11 | Mixed |
| Sep | 10 | Mixed |
| Oct | 9 | Mixed |
| Nov | 7 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 6 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Ashburton, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 5% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 67 | 63 | 81 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 96 | 80 |
| Comfortable (%) | 28 | 31 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19 |
| Humid (%) | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67 | 28 | 5 |
| Feb | 63 | 31 | 6 |
| Mar | 81 | 18 | 1 |
| Apr | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 96 | 4 | 0 |
| Dec | 80 | 19 | 1 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Ashburton is typically light breeze, near 13 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.2 months, from around Sep 11 to Mar 19. The windiest month is November, averaging about 14 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 20 to Sep 10, with July the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | light breeze |
| Feb | 13 | light breeze |
| Mar | 13 | light breeze |
| Apr | 12 | calm |
| May | 11 | calm |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 11 | calm |
| Aug | 12 | calm |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 14 | light breeze |
| Nov | 14 | light breeze |
| Dec | 14 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Ashburton
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ashburton throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around early April, Ashburton is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ashburton for general outdoor tourist activities is from late November to mid April, with a peak score in the last week of January.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 6.4 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 5.8 |
| Rating | good | good | good | fair | fair | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | fair | good |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.4 | good |
| Feb | 6.6 | good |
| Mar | 6.4 | good |
| Apr | 5.2 | fair |
| May | 4.1 | fair |
| Jun | 2.7 | poor |
| Jul | 2.5 | poor |
| Aug | 3.1 | poor |
| Sep | 4.1 | fair |
| Oct | 4.6 | fair |
| Nov | 5.3 | fair |
| Dec | 5.8 | good |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Ashburton for hot-weather activities is from early January to early March, with a peak score in the last week of January.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Ashburton, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around February (highs near 20°C), the essentials are sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 10°C), pack a warm layer and rain gear.
In February, Ashburton sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Ashburton
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 27 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 9°C.
The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 15 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 10 | Bracing |
| Jul | 9 | Bracing |
| Aug | 9 | Bracing |
| Sep | 10 | Bracing |
| Oct | 11 | Bracing |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 15 | Cool |
UV index (midday) in Ashburton by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ashburton peaks around January 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 1 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Average hourly UV index in Ashburton
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6.5 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 6 | 0 |
| Apr | 2 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3 | 0 |
| Oct | 6 | 0 |
| Nov | 8 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 6 |
Growing season
Ashburton is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about August 8 to June 14 (311 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 89 | 83 | 92 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 98 | 0 |
| Jun | 89 | 13 |
| Jul | 83 | 31 |
| Aug | 92 | 6 |
| Sep | 99 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Ashburton banks about 883 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 196 | 176 | 150 | 69 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 89 | 155 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 196 |
| Feb | 176 |
| Mar | 150 |
| Apr | 69 |
| May | 8 |
| Jun | 0 |
| Jul | 0 |
| Aug | 0 |
| Sep | 1 |
| Oct | 39 |
| Nov | 89 |
| Dec | 155 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Ashburton receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.4 and 7.0 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 20 to Mar 21. The brightest month is December, averaging about 6.6 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 1.5 kWh/m² — roughly 78% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.6 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 6.5 |
| Level | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.6 | Intense |
| Feb | 5.5 | Bright |
| Mar | 4.3 | Bright |
| Apr | 2.9 | Moderate |
| May | 1.9 | Dim |
| Jun | 1.4 | Dim |
| Jul | 1.6 | Dim |
| Aug | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Oct | 5.2 | Bright |
| Nov | 6.2 | Intense |
| Dec | 6.5 | Intense |
Where is Ashburton?
Ashburton sits at 43.9°S, 171.7°E, 106 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rolleston, 63 km away.
Topography around Ashburton
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ashburton.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashburton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 103 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,287 m.
The land around Ashburton is covered by grassland (40%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and cropland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (27%) within 80 km.
New Zealand travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type I
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 86% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $49,591
- 2025
- Happiness
- 7.0 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 1.5
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 9.6
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Ashburton (-43.8983°, 171.7301°, elevation 106 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).