Christchurch weather in November

In November, Christchurch sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 49 mm of rain across 9 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in November, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of November to 15 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Christchurch's 11th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
7th coldest
Rainfall
49 mm
9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:58 AM – 8:31 PM
Cloud cover
60%
11th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
6.44 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
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 November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month.

A typical November day in Christchurch reaches about 16°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 20°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs about 2°C warmer than October and about 2°C cooler than December.

10°15°20°25°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11510
21510
31510
41510
51510
61510
71510
81510
91510
101510
111510
121510
131510
141510
151510
161510
171610
181610
191610
201610
211611
221611
231611
241611
251611
261611
271611
281611
291611
301611

Christchurch weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 5th-warmest and 6th-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35149
45149
55149
65149
75050
85050
95050
104951
114951
124852
134753
144753
154654
164654
174654
184654
194555
204555
214456
224456
234456
244456
254258
264357
274357
284357
294258
304159

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Christchurch gets around 49 mm of rain over 9 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
629
729
829
929
1029
1130
1230
1330
1430
1531
1631
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2730
2830
2930
3030

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the dry band about 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20982
21982
22973
23973
24964
25955
26955
27946
28937
29928
30928

Wind in November

Winds average 16 km/h in November.

Across November, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light 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

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of November to 15 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 8:12 PM to 8:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.06:148:12
214.06:138:13
314.06:128:15
414.16:108:16
514.16:098:17
614.26:088:18
714.26:078:20
814.36:068:21
914.36:058:22
1014.36:048:24
1114.46:038:25
1214.46:028:26
1314.46:018:28
1414.56:008:29
1514.55:598:30
1614.65:588:31
1714.65:578:33
1814.65:568:34
1914.75:568:35
2014.75:558:36
2114.75:548:38
2214.85:548:39
2314.85:538:40
2414.85:528:41
2514.85:528:42
2614.95:518:44
2714.95:518:45
2814.95:508:46
2915.05:508:47
3015.05:508:48

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 6.44 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 — November's 6.44 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.6Intense
306.6Intense
Planning a trip in November

Is November a good time to visit Christchurch?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

November is a reasonable time to visit Christchurch for sightseeing.

What to pack for Christchurch in November

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

In November, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Christchurch in November

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in November — 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 November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks around 8 (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 November

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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