Franz Josef in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Franz Josef sees average daytime highs around 13°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 879 mm of precipitation over about 49 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 11°C in early December to 13°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Franz Josef's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Franz Josef's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 13°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 6°C
- Precipitation
- 879 mm
- 49 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.1
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Franz Josef in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 11°C in early December to 13°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Franz Josef reaches about 13°C and drops to 6°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How summer really feels in Franz Josef
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.
Franz Josef 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 | 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 Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Franz Josef gets around 879 mm of rain and snow over 49 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 6 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 15 hours in early December to 13 h 12 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 6.2 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Franz Josef?
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 weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Franz Josef.
What to pack for Franz Josef in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Franz Josef sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 6°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 49 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Franz Josef in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 17°C across summer — 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 Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). 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.