Ashburton weather in December

In December, Ashburton sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 66 mm of rain across 11 wet days and about 15.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 hours at the start of December to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Ashburton's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashburton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
11°
10th coldest
Rainfall
66 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
15 h 18 min
5:51 AM – 9:07 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

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.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month.

A typical December day in Ashburton reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
41811
51811
61811
71811
81811
91911
101911
111911
121911
131911
141911
151911
161911
171911
181911
191911
201911
211912
221912
231912
241912
251912
261912
271912
281912
292012
302012
312012

How December really feels in Ashburton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Ashburton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 13°589.214.96.4
Feb20° / 12°517.313.86.6
Mar19° / 11°517.412.46.4
Apr16° / 599.410.85.2
May14° / 528.29.54.1
Jun11° / 588.78.82.7
Jul10° / 578.29.12.5
Aug12° / 589.410.23.1
Sep14° / 498.711.74.1
Oct15° / 5810.713.24.6
Nov17° / 6610.814.55.2
Dec19° / 11°661115.25.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43763
53763
63763
73763
83763
93763
103664
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163763
173763
183763
193862
203862
213862
223862
233862
243961
253961
264060
274060
284159
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Ashburton gets around 66 mm of rain over 11 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
335
435
535
635
735
835
935
1036
1136
1236
1337
1437
1537
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2137
2237
2337
2436
2536
2635
2735
2835
2934
3034
3134

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 80% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
188120
287130
387130
486140
585150
684160
783161
882171
981181
1081181
1180191
1280191
1380191
1480191
1579201
1679201
1779201
1879201
1979201
2079201
2178211
2278211
2378211
2477212
2577212
2676222
2776222
2875232
2975232
3073243
3173243

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of December to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:52 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 8:54 PM to 9:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.05:528:54
215.15:518:55
315.15:518:56
415.15:518:57
515.15:518:58
615.15:518:59
715.25:509:00
815.25:509:01
915.25:509:02
1015.25:509:03
1115.25:509:04
1215.25:519:04
1315.25:519:05
1415.35:519:06
1515.35:519:07
1615.35:519:07
1715.35:529:08
1815.35:529:09
1915.35:529:09
2015.35:539:10
2115.35:539:10
2215.35:539:11
2315.35:549:11
2415.35:549:12
2515.35:559:12
2615.35:569:12
2715.35:569:13
2815.35:579:13
2915.35:589:13
3015.35:589:13
3115.25:599:13

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.52 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.4Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.9Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.1Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Ashburton?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Ashburton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ashburton in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Ashburton sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Ashburton in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Ashburton in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 16UV 10Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

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.

RangioraTekapoFranz JosefWanakaKaikoura

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.

3 km
42 m
16 km
195 m
80 km
2,287 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Rolleston 63 km · Timaru 67 km · Christchurch 83 km · Rangiora 95 km · Tekapo 101 km · Franz Josef 137 km · Wanaka 224 km · Kaikoura 229 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
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 3%

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).