Hamilton weather in December

In December, Hamilton sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 99 mm of rain across 11 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-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 16% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of December to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hamilton's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hamilton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
99 mm
11 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:57 AM – 8:33 PM
Cloud cover
70%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Hamilton is largest city in New Zealand's Waikato region.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 13.4 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
1,734/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 Hamilton reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22013
32013
42013
52113
62113
72113
82113
92113
102113
112113
122113
132113
142113
152113
162114
172114
182114
192114
202114
212114
222114
232214
242214
252214
262214
272214
282214
292214
302214
312214

Hamilton weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 15°718.814.36.9
Feb24° / 15°707.913.57.1
Mar22° / 13°727.812.37.0
Apr19° / 11°919.411.16.2
May17° / 10711.6105.2
Jun14° / 11412.39.44.0
Jul14° / 12813.59.73.6
Aug14° / 12214.810.53.8
Sep16° / 11413.911.74.3
Oct17° / 10°10012.7135.1
Nov19° / 11°8811.1145.7
Dec21° / 13°991114.66.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23367
33367
43367
53565
63565
73565
83565
93664
103664
113664
123763
133763
143763
153664
163763
173664
183664
193664
203565
213565
223664
233664
243565
253664
263664
273763
283763
293862
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Hamilton gets around 99 mm of rain over 11 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 35% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1136
1236
1336
1436
1536
1637
1737
1837
1937
2037
2136
2236
2336
2436
2535
2635
2734
2833
2933
3032
3131

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 45% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15632120
25433130
35333140
45034151
55034151
64934161
74934161
84834171
94834171
104734172
114734172
124734172
134734172
144634172
154634172
164635172
174535172
184535172
194436172
204436182
214336182
224337192
234237192
244137192
254137203
264037203
274038203
283938203
293938203
303838213
313739213

Wind in December

Winds average 14 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
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of December to 14 h 36 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 5:56 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 8:21 PM to 8:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:568:21
214.45:568:22
314.55:568:23
414.55:568:24
514.55:558:25
614.55:558:26
714.55:558:27
814.55:568:27
914.55:568:28
1014.65:568:29
1114.65:568:30
1214.65:568:30
1314.65:568:31
1414.65:568:32
1514.65:578:32
1614.65:578:33
1714.65:578:34
1814.65:588:34
1914.65:588:35
2014.65:588:35
2114.65:598:36
2214.65:598:36
2314.66:008:37
2414.66:008:37
2514.66:018:38
2614.66:018:38
2714.66:028:38
2814.66:038:39
2914.66:038:39
3014.66:048:39
3114.66:058:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.1Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.2Intense
206.2Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.5Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.8Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Hamilton

In seasonPeak

In December, Hamilton sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Hamilton sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Hamilton?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Hamilton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hamilton in December

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

In December, Hamilton sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Hamilton in December

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 40 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 17 to Mar 15 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Hamilton 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 Hamilton peaks around January 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 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 highModerateModerateVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Hamilton?

Hamilton sits at 37.8°S, 175.3°E, 39 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Hamilton East, 1.0 km away.

Topography around Hamilton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hamilton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 59 m around an average of 39 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 166 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,023 m.

The land around Hamilton is covered by artificial surfaces (57%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) within 16 km, and grassland (51%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
59 m
16 km
166 m
80 km
1,023 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
December weather nearby: Hamilton East 1.0 km · Cambridge 17 km · Pukekohe East 71 km · Tauranga 78 km · Papakura 85 km · Takanini 88 km · Manurewa 92 km · Rotorua 93 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 Hamilton (-37.7833°, 175.2833°, elevation 39 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).