Christchurch in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), Christchurch sees average daytime highs around 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 139 mm of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 11°C in early September to 16°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Christchurch's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 14°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 9°C
- Rainfall
- 139 mm
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 16 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.1
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Christchurch in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 11°C in early September to 16°C by late November.
A typical spring day in Christchurch reaches about 14°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
Christchurch weather by month
How the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19° / 14° | 49 | 8.1 | 14.9 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 19° / 14° | 39 | 6.6 | 13.8 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 17° / 13° | 45 | 6.8 | 12.4 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 15° / 10° | 52 | 8.8 | 10.8 | 4.8 |
| May | 13° / 8° | 48 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 3.8 |
| Jun | 11° / 6° | 58 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 2.6 |
| Jul | 10° / 5° | 52 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 2.2 |
| Aug | 10° / 6° | 48 | 8.8 | 10.2 | 2.5 |
| Sep | 12° / 7° | 43 | 8.1 | 11.7 | 3.3 |
| Oct | 14° / 9° | 48 | 9.4 | 13.2 | 4.1 |
| Nov | 16° / 10° | 49 | 9 | 14.5 | 4.9 |
| Dec | 17° / 12° | 53 | 9.4 | 15.2 | 5.6 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Christchurch gets around 139 mm of rain over 27 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 16 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early September to 15 hours by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.2 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Christchurch?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Christchurch for sightseeing.
What to pack for Christchurch in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Christchurch in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 12°C across spring — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 13 | Bracing |
| Jun | 11 | Bracing |
| Jul | 10 | Bracing |
| Aug | 9 | Bracing |
| Sep | 10 | Bracing |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 15 | Cool |
UV index in Christchurch in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 6 — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Air quality in Christchurch in Spring
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 17 | Moderate |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 7 | Good |
| Jun | 7 | Good |
| Jul | 9 | Good |
| Aug | 10 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 10 | Good |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 10 | Good |
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.
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.
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
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.