Blenheim in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Blenheim sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 186 mm of rain over about 25 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 3rd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early December to 20°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.

Summer is Blenheim's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Blenheim's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
20°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
12°C
Rainfall
186 mm
25 wet days
Avg wind
15 km/h
Travel score
6.5
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Blenheim in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early December to 20°C by late February.

A typical summer day in Blenheim reaches about 20°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

10°15°20°25°DecJanFeb

Blenheim weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 13°608.114.76.6
Feb20° / 13°536.313.76.9
Mar19° / 11°537.112.36.6
Apr16° / 678.210.95.5
May14° / 638.49.74.4
Jun12° / 819.49.13.1
Jul11° / 769.79.32.7
Aug12° / 7410.810.33.1
Sep13° / 7310.311.73.8
Oct15° / 8311.113.14.6
Nov17° / 10°739.914.35.4
Dec19° / 12°7310.414.96.0

Cloud cover in Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Blenheim gets around 186 mm of rain over 25 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 15 km/h across summer.

05101520DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min in early December to 13 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.8 kWh/m².

02468DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Blenheim?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is a reasonable time to visit Blenheim for sightseeing.

What to pack for Blenheim in Summer

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

In summer, Blenheim sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 25 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Blenheim in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 16°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Cool
May14Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Blenheim in Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Blenheim peaks around January 11 at about 11 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 11UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov9Very high
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Blenheim?

Blenheim sits at 41.5°S, 174.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Picton, 25 km away.

Topography around Blenheim

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Blenheim.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Blenheim has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 899 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,829 m.

The land around Blenheim is covered by grassland (47%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (47%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
79 m
16 km
899 m
80 km
2,829 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
Summer weather nearby: Picton 25 km · Nelson 62 km · Stoke 64 km · Richmond 67 km · Karori 71 km · Wellington 73 km · Porirua 86 km · Lower Hutt 87 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 Blenheim (-41.516°, 173.9528°, elevation 9 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.