Christchurch weather in December

In December, Christchurch sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 53 mm of rain across 9.4 wet days and about 15.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 Christchurch's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
4th warmest
Overnight low
12°
9th coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
9.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 12 min
5:49 AM – 9:02 PM
Cloud cover
64%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
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 December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical December day in Christchurch reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 22°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)
11711
21712
31712
41712
51712
61712
71712
81712
91712
101712
111712
121712
131712
141712
151712
161712
171712
181712
191713
201813
211813
221813
231813
241813
251813
261813
271813
281813
291813
301813
311813

Christchurch weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24060
34060
44159
54060
64060
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
154060
164060
174060
184159
194060
204159
214159
224159
234258
244258
254456
264456
274555
284555
294654
304753
314753

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Christchurch gets around 53 mm of rain over 9.4 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 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
830
930
1030
1130
1231
1331
1431
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2331
2431
2531
2630
2730
2829
2929
3029
3129

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19190
290100
390100
489110
588120
688120
787130
886140
986140
1085150
1185150
1285150
1385150
1484160
1584160
1684160
1784160
1884160
1984160
2084160
2184160
2284160
2384160
2484160
2583170
2682171
2782171
2881181
2981181
3080191
3180191

Wind in December

Winds average 17 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light 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 5:49 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 8:49 PM to 9:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.05:498:49
215.05:498:50
315.05:498:51
415.15:498:52
515.15:488:53
615.15:488:54
715.15:488:55
815.15:488:56
915.15:488:57
1015.25:488:58
1115.25:488:59
1215.25:488:59
1315.25:489:00
1415.25:499:01
1515.25:499:02
1615.25:499:02
1715.25:499:03
1815.25:509:04
1915.25:509:04
2015.25:509:05
2115.25:519:05
2215.25:519:06
2315.25:529:06
2415.25:529:07
2515.25:539:07
2615.25:539:07
2715.25:549:08
2815.25:559:08
2915.25:559:08
3015.25:569:08
3115.25:579:09

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.82 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 — December's 6.82 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Christchurch?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Christchurch for sightseeing.

What to pack for Christchurch in December

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

In December, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Christchurch 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 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 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 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 December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December 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
December 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).