Hamilton in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Hamilton sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 239 mm of rain over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 20°C in early December to 23°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Summer is Hamilton's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Hamilton's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 14°C
- Rainfall
- 239 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Hamilton in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 20°C in early December to 23°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Hamilton reaches about 23°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Hamilton 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 | 23° / 15° | 71 | 8.8 | 14.3 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 24° / 15° | 70 | 7.9 | 13.5 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 22° / 13° | 72 | 7.8 | 12.3 | 7.0 |
| Apr | 19° / 11° | 91 | 9.4 | 11.1 | 6.2 |
| May | 17° / 9° | 107 | 11.6 | 10 | 5.2 |
| Jun | 14° / 7° | 114 | 12.3 | 9.4 | 4.0 |
| Jul | 14° / 6° | 128 | 13.5 | 9.7 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 14° / 6° | 122 | 14.8 | 10.5 | 3.8 |
| Sep | 16° / 8° | 114 | 13.9 | 11.7 | 4.3 |
| Oct | 17° / 10° | 100 | 12.7 | 13 | 5.1 |
| Nov | 19° / 11° | 88 | 11.1 | 14 | 5.7 |
| Dec | 21° / 13° | 99 | 11 | 14.6 | 6.2 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Hamilton gets around 239 mm of rain over 28 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 13 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min in early December to 13 hours 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 6.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Hamilton
In summer, Hamilton overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Hamilton?
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 Hamilton for sightseeing.
What to pack for Hamilton in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Hamilton sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 28 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Hamilton in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 20°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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 21 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 20 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 19 | Cool |
| May | 17 | Cool |
| Jun | 15 | Cool |
| Jul | 14 | Bracing |
| Aug | 14 | Bracing |
| Sep | 14 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Hamilton in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 8 | Very high |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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 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.