Dunedin in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Dunedin sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 260 mm of rain over about 38 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Dunedin's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Dunedin's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 10°C
- Rainfall
- 260 mm
- 38 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.3
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Dunedin in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C.
A typical summer day in Dunedin reaches about 18°C and drops to 10°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Dunedin
Once humidity and wind are folded in, summer brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
summer 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 the three summer months (December, January and February) 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° / 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 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Dunedin gets around 260 mm of rain over 38 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 14 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min in early December to 13 h 18 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.7 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Dunedin?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Dunedin for sightseeing.
What to pack for Dunedin in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Dunedin sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. About 38 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Dunedin in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 14°C across summer — 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.
| 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 in Dunedin in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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.
| 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 |
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.
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.