Ashburton weather in October

In October, Ashburton sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 58 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of October to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Ashburton's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashburton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
7th warmest
Overnight low
6th coldest
Rainfall
58 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
6:41 AM – 7:55 PM
Cloud cover
61%
9th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
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 October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical October day in Ashburton reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 2°C warmer than September and about 2°C cooler than November.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1146
2156
3156
4157
5157
6157
7157
8157
9157
10157
11157
12157
13157
14157
15157
16157
17157
18157
19167
20167
21168
22168
23168
24168
25168
26168
27168
28168
29168
30168
31168

How October really feels in Ashburton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October 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

October 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 October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 4th-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 October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44555
54555
64357
74456
84357
94357
104357
114357
124456
134456
144555
154654
164654
174753
184753
194852
204852
214852
224951
234951
244852
254951
264951
275050
285050
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitation

Ashburton gets around 58 mm of rain over 10.7 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
233
333
434
534
635
735
836
936
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1537
1636
1736
1835
1935
2034
2134
2234
2333
2433
2533
2633
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in October

Winds average 14 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
113light 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
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of October to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:08 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 7:36 PM to 8:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.57:087:36
212.57:067:38
312.67:047:39
412.67:027:40
512.77:007:41
612.76:597:43
712.86:577:44
812.86:557:45
912.96:537:46
1012.96:517:48
1113.06:507:49
1213.06:487:50
1313.16:467:51
1413.16:447:53
1513.26:437:54
1613.26:417:55
1713.36:397:56
1813.36:387:58
1913.46:367:59
2013.46:358:00
2113.56:338:02
2213.56:318:03
2313.66:308:04
2413.66:288:06
2513.76:278:07
2613.76:258:08
2713.86:248:10
2813.86:228:11
2913.96:218:12
3013.96:208:14
3113.96:188:15

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.16 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 — October's 5.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.4Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.7Bright
275.7Bright
285.7Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Ashburton?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Ashburton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ashburton in October

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

In October, Ashburton sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Ashburton in October

The nearest coast averages about 11°C in October — 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 October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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
October 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).