Gisborne weather in December

In December, Gisborne sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 63 mm of rain across 9.7 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of December to 14 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Gisborne's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gisborne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
9.7 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
5:43 AM – 8:25 PM
Cloud cover
62%
12th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Gisborne is city in New Zealand.

Density
992/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical December day in Gisborne reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12013
22013
32013
42013
52014
62014
72014
82014
92114
102114
112114
122114
132114
142114
152114
162114
172114
182114
192114
202114
212115
222115
232115
242115
252115
262115
272115
282215
292215
302215
312215

Gisborne weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 16°637.514.47.1
Feb22° / 16°577.613.56.9
Mar21° / 14°728.412.36.7
Apr19° / 12°759.3116.1
May16° / 10°749.79.95.3
Jun14° / 8810.79.44.1
Jul13° / 9812.19.63.5
Aug14° / 8212.110.53.8
Sep15° / 7010.511.74.6
Oct17° / 10°669.7135.6
Nov19° / 12°579.114.16.2
Dec21° / 14°639.714.76.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74555
84654
94654
104654
114654
124654
134654
144654
154555
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224555
234654
244555
254654
264753
274852
284951
294951
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Gisborne gets around 63 mm of rain over 9.7 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
431
531
631
731
831
931
1031
1132
1232
1332
1432
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2032
2132
2232
2331
2431
2530
2630
2729
2828
2928
3027
3126

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 57% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
166304
265314
364315
463325
561336
660346
759347
858357
957358
1057358
1157358
1256359
1356359
1456359
1556359
16553510
17553510
18563410
19563410
20563410
21553411
22563311
23563212
24563212
25563113
26563113
27563014
28563014
29553015
30553015
31543016

Wind in December

Winds average 16 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of December to 14 h 42 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 5:43 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 8:13 PM to 8:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.55:438:13
214.55:428:14
314.55:428:15
414.65:428:16
514.65:428:16
614.65:428:17
714.65:428:18
814.65:428:19
914.65:428:20
1014.65:428:21
1114.65:428:21
1214.75:438:22
1314.75:438:23
1414.75:438:23
1514.75:438:24
1614.75:438:25
1714.75:448:25
1814.75:448:26
1914.75:458:27
2014.75:458:27
2114.75:458:28
2214.75:468:28
2314.75:468:29
2414.75:478:29
2514.75:478:29
2614.75:488:30
2714.75:488:30
2814.75:498:30
2914.75:508:31
3014.75:508:31
3114.75:518:31

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.87 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.9Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.3Intense
287.3Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Gisborne?

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

6.5
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Gisborne for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gisborne in December

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

In December, Gisborne sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Gisborne in December

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 20°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb20Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Gisborne in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gisborne peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Gisborne?

Gisborne sits at 38.7°S, 178.0°E, 10 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Whakatane, 118 km away.

WhakataneNapierHastingsRotoruaTaupoTaurangaCambridgeHamilton East

Topography around Gisborne

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Gisborne.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gisborne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 474 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,632 m.

The land around Gisborne is covered by grassland (42%), artificial surfaces (22%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (37%), water (31%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (37%), trees (35%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
230 m
16 km
474 m
80 km
1,632 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Whakatane 118 km · Napier 133 km · Hastings 148 km · Rotorua 164 km · Taupo 167 km · Tauranga 193 km · Cambridge 240 km · Hamilton East 256 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 Gisborne (-38.6533°, 178.0042°, elevation 10 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).