Climate and average weather in Dunedin
In Dunedin, the summers are mild, showery, and mostly cloudy and the winters are cool and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Dunedin typically varies from 1°C to 19°C, and is rarely below -3°C or above 24°C. January is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Dunedin for warm-weather activities are from early January to mid April and early December to late December.
- Hottest
- Jan
- 19°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 1°
- Wettest
- Dec
- 96 mm
- Driest
- Jul
- 39 mm
- Rain / yr
- 750 mm
- 131 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.5–15.5 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 21 m
- 45.9°S
- Clearest
- Jul
- 58% cloud
Dunedin is city in New Zealand's South Island.
- Air quality
- Good
- PM10 18.1 µg/m³ · 2012
- Density
- 40/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1848
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Dunedin weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early January to mid April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Dunedin, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.0 months, from December 1 to March 31, with daily high temperatures above 16°C. The hottest month of the year in Dunedin is January, with an average high of 19°C and low of 10°C.
The cool season lasts 2.7 months, from May 30 to August 20, with daily high temperatures below 11°C. The coldest month of the year in Dunedin is July, with an average low of 1°C and high of 9°C.
Days typically run about 8°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 |
| Avg low (°C) | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | 10 |
| Feb | 19 | 10 |
| Mar | 17 | 9 |
| Apr | 15 | 7 |
| May | 12 | 4 |
| Jun | 10 | 2 |
| Jul | 9 | 1 |
| Aug | 11 | 2 |
| Sep | 13 | 4 |
| Oct | 14 | 6 |
| Nov | 16 | 7 |
| Dec | 17 | 9 |
How hot and cold Dunedin really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -3°C (around July 6), with roughly 100 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 18 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 |
| Air high (°C) | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 10 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 1 | -2 | -2 | -1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Air low (°C) | 10 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 19 | 10 | 10 |
| Feb | 19 | 19 | 10 | 10 |
| Mar | 17 | 17 | 7 | 9 |
| Apr | 15 | 15 | 4 | 7 |
| May | 12 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
| Jun | 10 | 10 | -2 | 2 |
| Jul | 9 | 9 | -2 | 1 |
| Aug | 11 | 11 | -1 | 2 |
| Sep | 13 | 13 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct | 14 | 14 | 2 | 6 |
| Nov | 16 | 16 | 5 | 7 |
| Dec | 17 | 17 | 7 | 9 |
Average hourly temperature in Dunedin
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on January afternoons, near 19°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 1°C.
Dunedin weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19° / 10° | 91 | 13.1 | 15.1 | 5.4 |
| Feb | 19° / 10° | 73 | 10.3 | 14 | 5.7 |
| Mar | 17° / 9° | 59 | 9.7 | 12.4 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 15° / 7° | 54 | 9.3 | 10.7 | 4.5 |
| May | 12° / 4° | 50 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 3.3 |
| Jun | 10° / 2° | 46 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 2.1 |
| Jul | 9° / 1° | 39 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 2.1 |
| Aug | 11° / 2° | 41 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 13° / 4° | 50 | 10.6 | 11.7 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 14° / 6° | 74 | 13.6 | 13.3 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 16° / 7° | 77 | 13.5 | 14.7 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 17° / 9° | 96 | 14.4 | 15.5 | 4.8 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Dunedin gets about 750 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.0 months, from around Sep 19 to Feb 16, peaking in December at about 48% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 8.
December is the wettest month by volume, with 96 mm over about 14 wet days; July is the driest, with 39 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 42 | 36 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 44 | 45 | 47 |
| Rain days | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 13 |
| Feb | 36 | 10 |
| Mar | 32 | 10 |
| Apr | 30 | 9 |
| May | 32 | 10 |
| Jun | 31 | 9 |
| Jul | 26 | 8 |
| Aug | 30 | 9 |
| Sep | 35 | 11 |
| Oct | 44 | 14 |
| Nov | 45 | 14 |
| Dec | 47 | 14 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Dunedin collects about 750 mm of rain across 131 wet days — roughly 63 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. December is the wettest month with 96 mm, while July is the driest at just 39 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 35% of the year’s total.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 91 | 73 | 59 | 54 | 50 | 46 | 39 | 41 | 50 | 74 | 77 | 96 |
| Rain days | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 91 | 13 |
| Feb | 73 | 10 |
| Mar | 59 | 10 |
| Apr | 54 | 9 |
| May | 50 | 10 |
| Jun | 46 | 9 |
| Jul | 39 | 8 |
| Aug | 41 | 9 |
| Sep | 50 | 11 |
| Oct | 74 | 14 |
| Nov | 77 | 14 |
| Dec | 96 | 14 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Dunedin, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around March 1 and lasts for 6.8 months, ending around September 24. The clearest month is July, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 50% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around September 25 and lasts for 5.2 months, ending around February 28. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 77% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 27 | 33 | 39 | 42 | 45 | 49 | 50 | 44 | 40 | 33 | 29 | 23 |
| Cloudier (%) | 73 | 67 | 61 | 58 | 55 | 51 | 50 | 56 | 60 | 67 | 71 | 77 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 73 |
| Feb | 33 | 67 |
| Mar | 39 | 61 |
| Apr | 42 | 58 |
| May | 45 | 55 |
| Jun | 49 | 51 |
| Jul | 50 | 50 |
| Aug | 44 | 56 |
| Sep | 40 | 60 |
| Oct | 33 | 67 |
| Nov | 29 | 71 |
| Dec | 23 | 77 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 15 h 30 min of light; the shortest, around June 11, only 8 h 30 min — a swing of roughly 7 hours.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.7 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.3 | 14.7 | 15.5 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:12 | 6:54 | 7:36 | 8:17 | 8:56 | 9:24 | 9:20 | 8:41 | 7:42 | 6:43 | 6:00 | 5:49 |
| Sunset (PM) | 9:22 | 8:51 | 8:00 | 6:59 | 6:12 | 5:53 | 6:08 | 6:43 | 7:23 | 8:03 | 8:47 | 9:20 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.1 | 6:12 | 9:22 |
| Feb | 14.0 | 6:54 | 8:51 |
| Mar | 12.4 | 7:36 | 8:00 |
| Apr | 10.7 | 8:17 | 6:59 |
| May | 9.3 | 8:56 | 6:12 |
| Jun | 8.5 | 9:24 | 5:53 |
| Jul | 8.8 | 9:20 | 6:08 |
| Aug | 10.1 | 8:41 | 6:43 |
| Sep | 11.7 | 7:42 | 7:23 |
| Oct | 13.3 | 6:43 | 8:03 |
| Nov | 14.7 | 6:00 | 8:47 |
| Dec | 15.5 | 5:49 | 9:20 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Dunedin averages about 6 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 2 and 10 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.4 months, from around Mar 16 to Sep 25. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 9 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is November, down near 3 sunny days — about 70% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 5 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 6 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 7 | Gloomy |
| May | 7 | Gloomy |
| Jun | 9 | Mixed |
| Jul | 10 | Mixed |
| Aug | 8 | Gloomy |
| Sep | 6 | Gloomy |
| Oct | 4 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 3 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 3 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Dunedin, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in January, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 3% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 79 | 77 | 90 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 88 |
| Comfortable (%) | 18 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Humid (%) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79 | 18 | 3 |
| Feb | 77 | 20 | 3 |
| Mar | 90 | 10 | 1 |
| Apr | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| Dec | 88 | 11 | 1 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Dunedin is typically light breeze, near 13 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 4.9 months, from around Sep 12 to Feb 7. The windiest month is November, averaging about 15 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 9 to Sep 11, with July the calmest month at about 12 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | light breeze |
| Feb | 13 | light breeze |
| Mar | 13 | light breeze |
| Apr | 13 | light breeze |
| May | 13 | light breeze |
| Jun | 13 | light breeze |
| Jul | 12 | light breeze |
| Aug | 13 | light breeze |
| Sep | 14 | light breeze |
| Oct | 14 | light breeze |
| Nov | 15 | light breeze |
| Dec | 15 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Dunedin
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Dunedin throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around mid January, Dunedin is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Dunedin for general outdoor tourist activities is from early December to mid April, with a peak score in the last week of February.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Rating | fair | good | fair | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.4 | fair |
| Feb | 5.7 | good |
| Mar | 5.5 | fair |
| Apr | 4.5 | fair |
| May | 3.3 | poor |
| Jun | 2.1 | poor |
| Jul | 2.1 | poor |
| Aug | 2.6 | poor |
| Sep | 3.4 | poor |
| Oct | 3.8 | fair |
| Nov | 4.3 | fair |
| Dec | 4.8 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Dunedin for hot-weather activities is from early January to early March, with a peak score in the last week of January.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Dunedin, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around January (highs near 19°C), the essentials are rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 9°C), pack a warm layer and rain gear.
In January, Dunedin sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Dunedin
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 14°C and coldest in August near 10°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) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| Comfort | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Bracing |
| Feb | 14 | Bracing |
| Mar | 14 | Bracing |
| Apr | 13 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 11 | Bracing |
| Jul | 10 | Bracing |
| Aug | 10 | Bracing |
| Sep | 10 | Bracing |
| Oct | 11 | Bracing |
| Nov | 12 | Bracing |
| Dec | 13 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Dunedin by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Dunedin peaks around January 15 at about 10 (very high) — 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 7 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 10 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 9 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Extreme |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 1 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 1 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 9 | Very high |
Average hourly UV index in Dunedin
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5.5 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 6 |
| Feb | 7.5 | 4.5 |
| Mar | 5.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 0 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 2 | 0 |
| Oct | 6 | 0 |
| Nov | 7.5 | 4 |
| Dec | 8.5 | 5.5 |
Growing season
Dunedin is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about September 6 to May 23 (260 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 99 | 93 | 75 | 67 | 80 | 93 | 99 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 99 | 0 |
| May | 93 | 7 |
| Jun | 75 | 30 |
| Jul | 67 | 31 |
| Aug | 80 | 31 |
| Sep | 93 | 4 |
| Oct | 99 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Dunedin banks about 528 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around January.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 137 | 123 | 94 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 44 | 101 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 137 |
| Feb | 123 |
| Mar | 94 |
| Apr | 23 |
| May | 0 |
| Jun | 0 |
| Jul | 0 |
| Aug | 0 |
| Sep | 0 |
| Oct | 6 |
| Nov | 44 |
| Dec | 101 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Dunedin receives about 3.7 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — moderate — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.2 and 6.4 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 20 to Mar 21. The brightest month is December, averaging about 6.1 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 1.2 kWh/m² — roughly 80% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.0 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 6.0 |
| Level | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate | Dim | Dim | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.0 | Intense |
| Feb | 5.0 | Bright |
| Mar | 3.9 | Moderate |
| Apr | 2.6 | Moderate |
| May | 1.6 | Dim |
| Jun | 1.2 | Dim |
| Jul | 1.4 | Dim |
| Aug | 2.2 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3.5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 4.7 | Bright |
| Nov | 5.7 | Bright |
| Dec | 6.0 | Intense |
Where is Dunedin?
Dunedin sits at 45.9°S, 170.5°E, 21 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Wanaka, 168 km away.
What Dunedin looks like
Topography around Dunedin
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Dunedin.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Dunedin has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 286 m around an average of 73 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 790 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,463 m.
The land around Dunedin is covered by artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (38%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (35%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) and water (39%) 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 Dunedin (-45.8742°, 170.5036°, elevation 21 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).