Hastings weather in December

In December, Hastings sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 63 mm of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 36 min at the start of December to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Hastings's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hastings's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
63 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
5:45 AM – 8:32 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.5
out of 10

Hastings is city in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

Air quality
Good
PM10 15.3 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
3,614/km²
people per km²
Founded
1873

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 21°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical December day in Hastings reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12112
22112
32112
42112
52112
62112
72112
82213
92213
102213
112213
122213
132213
142213
152213
162213
172213
182213
192213
202213
212213
222213
232213
242213
252213
262314
272314
282314
292314
302314
312314

Hastings weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 14°618.214.57.2
Feb23° / 14°557.613.67.1
Mar21° / 12°568.112.36.8
Apr19° / 10°698116.2
May16° / 548.59.85.2
Jun13° / 719.29.33.9
Jul13° / 8510.99.53.4
Aug13° / 6510.810.43.8
Sep15° / 6010.111.74.7
Oct17° / 6510.313.15.6
Nov19° / 10°579.214.26.3
Dec22° / 13°6310.114.86.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34258
44159
54060
64060
73961
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
143961
153961
163961
173961
183961
193961
203961
214060
224060
234159
244159
254357
264456
274555
284753
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Hastings gets around 63 mm of rain over 10.1 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 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
732
832
932
1032
1132
1232
1333
1433
1533
1633
1734
1834
1934
2034
2134
2234
2333
2433
2532
2632
2731
2830
2929
3029
3128

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
180182
278193
377203
477203
576213
674224
774224
873234
972235
1072235
1171245
1271245
1371245
1470246
1570246
1670246
1769256
1869256
1969256
2069256
2169256
2269256
2368257
2468257
2569247
2669247
2769247
2868248
2968248
3068248
3168248

Wind in December

Winds average 12 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 36 min at the start of December to 14 h 48 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 5:44 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 8:20 PM to 8:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.65:448:20
214.65:448:21
314.65:448:22
414.75:448:23
514.75:448:24
614.75:448:25
714.75:448:26
814.75:448:27
914.75:448:27
1014.75:448:28
1114.75:448:29
1214.85:448:30
1314.85:448:30
1414.85:458:31
1514.85:458:32
1614.85:458:32
1714.85:458:33
1814.85:468:34
1914.85:468:34
2014.85:468:35
2114.85:478:35
2214.85:478:36
2314.85:488:36
2414.85:488:37
2514.85:498:37
2614.85:498:37
2714.85:508:38
2814.85:518:38
2914.85:518:38
3014.85:528:39
3114.85:538:39

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.81 kWh/m² to a high of 7.02 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.9Intense
216.9Intense
226.9Intense
237.0Intense
247.0Intense
257.1Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Hastings?

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
4.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Hastings for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hastings in December

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

In December, Hastings sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Hastings 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 at the nearest coast (about 24 km away) is warmest in February at about 20°C and coldest in August near 13°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
May16Cool
Jun15Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Hastings 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 Hastings peaks around January 13 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateLowModerateExtremeJan 13UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7High
Apr5Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Hastings?

Hastings sits at 39.6°S, 176.8°E, 19 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Napier, 17 km away.

TaupoPalmerston NorthGisborneWhanganuiLevinRotoruaMasterton

Topography around Hastings

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Hastings has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 19 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 480 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,719 m.

The land around Hastings is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and grassland (37%) within 3 km, grassland (59%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%), water (32%) and trees (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
19 m
16 km
480 m
80 km
1,719 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Napier 17 km · Taupo 125 km · Palmerston North 132 km · Gisborne 148 km · Whanganui 157 km · Levin 174 km · Rotorua 175 km · Masterton 178 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 Hastings (-39.6381°, 176.8492°, elevation 19 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).