Christchurch weather in April

In April, Christchurch sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 52 mm of rain across 8.8 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of April to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Christchurch's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
8:06 AM – 6:54 PM
Cloud cover
57%
8th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Christchurch is largest city in the South Island of New Zealand.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
1,420/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical April day in Christchurch reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 2°C cooler than March and about 2°C warmer than May.

10°15°20°25°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11712
21612
31611
41611
51611
61611
71611
81611
91611
101611
111511
121511
131510
141510
151510
161510
171510
181510
191510
201510
211510
221510
231510
241510
251510
261410
271410
281410
291410
301410

Christchurch weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 6th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 14°498.114.96.3
Feb19° / 14°396.613.86.5
Mar17° / 13°456.812.46.1
Apr15° / 10°528.810.84.8
May13° / 488.29.53.8
Jun11° / 588.98.82.6
Jul10° / 528.49.12.2
Aug10° / 488.810.22.5
Sep12° / 438.111.73.3
Oct14° / 489.413.24.1
Nov16° / 10°49914.54.9
Dec17° / 12°539.415.25.6

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55149
65149
75149
85050
95149
105149
115149
125149
135149
145248
155248
165248
175347
185248
195248
205149
215149
225050
235050
245050
254951
265050
274951
284951
294852
304951

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Christchurch gets around 52 mm of rain over 8.8 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
126
226
327
428
528
629
729
829
929
1029
1129
1229
1329
1429
1528
1628
1728
1827
1927
2027
2128
2228
2328
2428
2528
2628
2728
2828
2927
3027

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
18713
28812
39010
4919
5928
6937
7946
8955
9955
10964
11964
12973
13973
14973
15982
16982
17982
18982
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
271000
281000
291000
301000

Wind in April

Winds average 15 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light 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

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of April to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 7:48 AM to 8:22 AM, and sunset from 7:21 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.67:487:21
211.57:497:19
311.57:507:17
411.47:517:15
511.47:527:13
611.37:547:12
711.37:557:10
811.27:567:08
911.27:577:06
1011.17:587:04
1111.18:007:03
1211.08:017:01
1311.08:026:59
1410.98:036:57
1510.98:046:56
1610.88:066:54
1710.88:076:52
1810.78:086:50
1910.78:096:49
2010.68:106:47
2110.68:126:45
2210.58:136:44
2310.58:146:42
2410.48:156:41
2510.48:166:39
2610.38:186:37
2710.38:196:36
2810.28:206:34
2910.28:216:33
3010.18:226:31

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 2.94 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.44 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in January across the year — April's 2.94 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.4Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.3Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.1Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.0Moderate
153.0Moderate
162.9Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.8Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.6Moderate
252.6Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.5Moderate
282.5Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.4Moderate
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Christchurch?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Christchurch for sightseeing.

What to pack for Christchurch in April

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

In April, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Christchurch in April

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 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
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Christchurch in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Christchurch peaks around January 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 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 15UV 11Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Christchurch in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where April falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Christchurch is worst in February — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (May, 7 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Christchurch's WHO annual average of 10.2 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodFeb 1816 µg/m³May 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb17Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun7Good
Jul9Good
Aug10Good
Sep11Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Christchurch?

Christchurch sits at 43.5°S, 172.6°E, 14 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rolleston, 21 km away.

TimaruKaikouraTekapoFranz JosefRichmond

Topography around Christchurch

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Christchurch has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 26 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 547 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,955 m.

The land around Christchurch is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) within 3 km, grassland (33%) and water (22%) within 16 km, and water (43%) and grassland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
26 m
16 km
547 m
80 km
1,955 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Rolleston 21 km · Rangiora 26 km · Ashburton 83 km · Timaru 146 km · Kaikoura 151 km · Tekapo 181 km · Franz Josef 198 km · Richmond 249 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 Christchurch (-43.5333°, 172.6333°, elevation 14 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).