Franz Josef in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Franz Josef sees average daytime highs around 10°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 801 mm of precipitation over about 43 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 13°C in early March to 5°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Franz Josef's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Franz Josef's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 10°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 2°C
- Precipitation
- 801 mm
- 43 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 km/h
- Travel score
- 1.9
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Franz Josef in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 13°C in early March to 5°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Franz Josef reaches about 10°C and drops to 2°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
How fall really feels in Franz Josef
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 33 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Franz Josef weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14° / 6° | 309 | 16 | 0.8 | 14.8 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 14° / 6° | 228 | 14.1 | 0.9 | 13.8 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 12° / 5° | 251 | 14.1 | 1.4 | 12.4 | 3.0 |
| Apr | 10° / 2° | 264 | 13.5 | 2.8 | 10.8 | 1.9 |
| May | 7° / -1° | 286 | 15.1 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 3° / -4° | 261 | 13.1 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 3° / -4° | 228 | 12.8 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 3° / -3° | 232 | 14.6 | 11.8 | 10.2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 5° / -2° | 316 | 16.7 | 12.1 | 11.7 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 7° / -0° | 324 | 19 | 10 | 13.2 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 9° / 2° | 303 | 18.3 | 6.5 | 14.5 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 12° / 5° | 342 | 19.1 | 2.7 | 15.2 | 2.4 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Franz Josef gets around 801 mm of rain and snow over 43 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 5 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min in early March to 9 h 06 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.0 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Franz Josef?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Franz Josef.
What to pack for Franz Josef in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Franz Josef sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 43 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Franz Josef in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 16°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 25 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 13°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 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 17 | Cool |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 15 | Bracing |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 13 | Bracing |
| Aug | 13 | Bracing |
| Sep | 13 | Bracing |
| Oct | 13 | Bracing |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 16 | Cool |
UV index in Franz Josef in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Franz Josef peaks around January 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 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 |
Where is Franz Josef?
Franz Josef sits at 43.4°S, 170.2°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Tekapo, 73 km away.
Topography around Franz Josef
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Franz Josef.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Franz Josef has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,047 m around an average of 294 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,067 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,635 m.
The land around Franz Josef is covered by trees (72%) within 3 km, trees (59%) within 16 km, and water (29%), grassland (27%) and trees (23%) 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 Franz Josef (-43.3891°, 170.1819°, elevation 0 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.