Henderson weather in December

In December, Henderson sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 91 mm of rain across 10.9 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of December to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Henderson's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Henderson's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
4th warmest
Overnight low
16°
9th coldest
Rainfall
91 mm
10.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
6:02 AM – 8:33 PM
Cloud cover
66%
12th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
6.74 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month.

A typical December day in Henderson reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 21°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)
11815
21816
31816
41816
51816
61916
71916
81916
91916
101916
111916
121916
131916
141916
151916
161916
171916
181916
191917
201917
211917
221917
231917
241917
252017
262017
272017
282017
292017
302017
312017

Henderson weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 18°718.714.26.6
Feb21° / 18°617.813.46.7
Mar20° / 17°67812.36.7
Apr19° / 16°829.811.16.0
May17° / 14°10712.310.15.1
Jun15° / 12°11612.79.54.1
Jul14° / 11°128159.73.6
Aug14° / 11°11515.210.63.6
Sep14° / 12°10213.411.74.0
Oct16° / 13°8411.9134.6
Nov17° / 14°7611.1145.2
Dec19° / 16°9110.914.55.9

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
44060
54060
64258
74258
84159
94159
104258
114258
124258
134258
144357
154258
164258
174159
184159
194159
204159
214258
224258
234159
244258
254258
264357
274456
284456
294456
304555
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Henderson gets around 91 mm of rain over 10.9 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 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
635
735
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1435
1535
1635
1736
1836
1936
2036
2135
2235
2335
2435
2534
2634
2733
2832
2932
3031
3130

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 38% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14635180
24535200
34435210
44335220
54235230
64135231
74035241
84035251
93935251
103934251
113934261
123934262
133834262
143834262
153834262
163834262
173734262
183734263
193634273
203635273
213635273
223535273
233535273
243435273
253435283
263435283
273335283
283335293
293235294
303235294
313135304

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520light breeze
620light breeze
720light breeze
820light breeze
920light breeze
1020light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420light breeze
1520light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of December to 14 h 30 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 6:01 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 8:22 PM to 8:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.36:018:22
214.46:018:22
314.46:018:23
414.46:018:24
514.46:018:25
614.46:018:26
714.46:018:27
814.46:018:27
914.56:018:28
1014.56:018:29
1114.56:018:30
1214.56:018:30
1314.56:018:31
1414.56:028:32
1514.56:028:33
1614.56:028:33
1714.56:038:34
1814.56:038:34
1914.56:038:35
2014.56:048:35
2114.56:048:36
2214.56:058:36
2314.56:058:37
2414.56:068:37
2514.56:068:38
2614.56:078:38
2714.56:078:38
2814.56:088:39
2914.56:088:39
3014.56:098:39
3114.56:108:40

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.74 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 7.25 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.74 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.7Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.9Intense
206.9Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.2Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Henderson

In seasonPeak

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

Henderson 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 Henderson?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Henderson for sightseeing.

What to pack for Henderson in December

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

In December, Henderson sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Henderson 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 22 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 18 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
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec19Cool

UV index in Henderson 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 Henderson peaks around January 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Henderson?

Henderson sits at 36.9°S, 174.6°E, 13 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Lincoln, 2.0 km away.

Topography around Henderson

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Henderson has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 107 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 465 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 905 m.

The land around Henderson is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and trees (37%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (21%) within 16 km, and water (57%) and grassland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
107 m
16 km
465 m
80 km
905 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
December weather nearby: Lincoln 2.0 km · Te Atatu South 3.0 km · Massey 5.0 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 5.0 km · Massey East 6.0 km · New Lynn 7.0 km · Titirangi 7.0 km · Avondale 7.0 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 Henderson (-36.8801°, 174.6198°, elevation 13 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).