Christchurch weather in May

In May, Christchurch sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 48 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 9.5 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 06 min at the start of May to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Christchurch's 1st-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
8th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 30 min
8:41 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
55%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.94 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical May day in Christchurch reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11410
2149
3149
4149
5149
6149
7149
8149
9149
10149
11139
12139
13139
14139
15139
16138
17138
18138
19138
20138
21138
22128
23128
24128
25128
26127
27127
28127
29127
30127
31127

Christchurch weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 7th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55050
65149
75149
85248
95248
105149
115248
125248
135248
145248
155347
165347
175347
185347
195347
205347
215347
225347
235347
245446
255446
265347
275347
285347
295248
305248
315248

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Christchurch gets around 48 mm of rain over 8.2 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 27% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
227
327
426
526
626
726
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1526
1626
1727
1827
1928
2028
2129
2229
2329
2429
2529
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May 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
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, 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.

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
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of May to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:24 AM to 8:56 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 5:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.18:246:30
210.18:256:28
310.08:266:27
410.08:276:25
59.98:286:24
69.98:296:23
79.88:316:21
89.88:326:20
99.88:336:19
109.78:346:18
119.78:356:16
129.68:366:15
139.68:386:14
149.68:396:13
159.58:406:12
169.58:416:11
179.58:426:10
189.48:436:08
199.48:446:07
209.48:456:07
219.38:466:06
229.38:476:05
239.38:486:04
249.28:496:03
259.28:506:02
269.28:516:01
279.18:526:01
289.18:536:00
299.18:545:59
309.18:555:59
319.08:565:58

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 1.94 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 — May's 1.94 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.4Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.3Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.2Moderate
82.1Moderate
92.1Moderate
102.1Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.0Moderate
132.0Moderate
142.0Dim
151.9Dim
161.9Dim
171.9Dim
181.9Dim
191.9Dim
201.8Dim
211.8Dim
221.8Dim
231.8Dim
241.7Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Christchurch?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Christchurch.

What to pack for Christchurch in May

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

In May, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Christchurch in May

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 2. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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