Dunedin weather in August

In August, Dunedin sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 41 mm of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 10.1 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of August to 10 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Dunedin's 3rd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dunedin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
41 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:41 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
62%
3rd clearest
Wind
13 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

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.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical August day in Dunedin reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and about 2°C cooler than September.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1102
2102
3102
4102
5102
6102
7102
8102
9102
10102
11102
12102
13102
14102
15102
16112
17112
18112
19112
20112
21113
22113
23113
24113
25113
26113
27123
28123
29123
30123
31123

How August really feels in Dunedin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Dunedin weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 10°9113.115.15.4
Feb19° / 10°7310.3145.7
Mar17° / 599.712.45.5
Apr15° / 549.310.74.5
May12° / 509.99.33.3
Jun10° / 469.38.52.1
Jul / 398.18.82.1
Aug11° / 419.110.12.6
Sep13° / 5010.611.73.4
Oct14° / 7413.613.33.8
Nov16° / 7713.514.74.3
Dec17° / 9614.415.54.8

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44555
54456
64555
74555
84555
94456
104456
114555
124555
134555
144456
154456
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284258
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Dunedin gets around 41 mm of rain and snow over 9.1 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 30% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
227
327
427
528
628
729
830
930
1031
1131
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1832
1932
2031
2131
2230
2330
2429
2529
2629
2728
2828
2928
3029
3129

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August 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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in August

Winds average 13 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of August to 10 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 9:03 AM to 8:14 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.49:036:25
29.49:026:26
39.49:016:27
49.58:596:28
59.58:586:29
69.68:576:31
79.68:556:32
89.78:546:33
99.78:526:34
109.78:516:36
119.88:496:37
129.88:486:38
139.98:466:39
149.98:446:41
1510.08:436:42
1610.08:416:43
1710.18:396:44
1810.18:386:46
1910.28:366:47
2010.28:346:48
2110.38:326:49
2210.38:316:51
2310.48:296:52
2410.48:276:53
2510.58:256:55
2610.58:236:56
2710.68:216:57
2810.68:206:58
2910.78:187:00
3010.88:167:01
3110.88:147:02

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 2.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.22 kWh/m² to a high of 6.04 kWh/m² in January across the year — August's 2.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.8Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.9Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
82.0Dim
92.0Moderate
102.0Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.2Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.4Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.6Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.8Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Dunedin?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dunedin.

What to pack for Dunedin in August

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

In August, Dunedin sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Dunedin in August

The nearest coast averages about 10°C in August — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan14Bracing
Feb14Bracing
Mar14Bracing
Apr13Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec13Bracing

UV index in Dunedin in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct5High
Nov8Very high
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

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.

WanakaQueenstownTimaruInvercargillTekapoAshburtonFranz JosefRolleston

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.

3 km
286 m
16 km
790 m
80 km
1,463 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
August weather nearby: Wanaka 168 km · Queenstown 172 km · Timaru 175 km · Invercargill 176 km · Tekapo 208 km · Ashburton 240 km · Franz Josef 277 km · Rolleston 295 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 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).