Dunedin weather in December

In December, Dunedin sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 96 mm of rain across 14.4 wet days and about 15.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 18 min at the start of December to 15 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Dunedin's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dunedin's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
10th coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
14.4 wet days
Daylight
15 h 30 min
5:49 AM – 9:20 PM
Cloud cover
75%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
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 December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical December day in Dunedin reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1168
2179
3179
4179
5179
6179
7179
8179
9179
10179
11179
12179
13179
14179
15179
16179
17179
18179
191710
201710
211710
221710
231810
241810
251810
261810
271810
281810
291810
301810
311810

How December really feels in Dunedin

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Dunedin weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-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 December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 10% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 77%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12674
22773
32575
42575
52575
62278
72278
82179
92179
102179
112179
121981
131981
141981
151981
162080
172278
182278
192278
202278
212377
222377
232377
242476
252476
262476
272575
282575
292575
302476
312476

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Dunedin gets around 96 mm of rain over 14.4 wet days in December, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 47% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
444
544
645
746
846
947
1047
1147
1248
1348
1449
1549
1649
1749
1849
1949
2048
2148
2248
2347
2447
2546
2646
2746
2846
2945
3045
3145

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19181
29181
39091
49091
59091
689101
789101
889101
989101
1088111
1188111
1288111
1389110
1489110
1589110
1689110
1789110
1889110
1989110
2087121
2187121
2287121
2386131
2486131
2585141
2685141
2785141
2884151
2984151
3084151
3183161

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, 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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light 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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min at the start of December to 15 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 9:06 PM to 9:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.35:509:06
215.35:499:07
315.35:499:08
415.35:499:09
515.45:489:10
615.45:489:11
715.45:489:12
815.45:489:13
915.45:489:14
1015.45:489:15
1115.55:489:16
1215.55:489:17
1315.55:489:17
1415.55:489:18
1515.55:489:19
1615.55:499:20
1715.55:499:20
1815.55:499:21
1915.55:509:22
2015.55:509:22
2115.55:509:23
2215.55:519:23
2315.55:519:24
2415.55:529:24
2515.55:529:24
2615.55:539:25
2715.55:549:25
2815.55:549:25
2915.55:559:26
3015.55:569:26
3115.55:569:26

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.02 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 — December's 6.02 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
156.0Bright
166.0Bright
176.0Intense
186.0Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Dunedin?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Dunedin for sightseeing.

What to pack for Dunedin in December

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

In December, Dunedin sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Dunedin in December

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

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). 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
December 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).