Henderson in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Henderson sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 223 mm of rain over about 27 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 18°C in early December to 21°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Summer is Henderson's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Henderson's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 17°C
- Rainfall
- 223 mm
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 18 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.4
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Henderson in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early December to 21°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Henderson reaches about 20°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Henderson 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 | 21° / 18° | 71 | 8.7 | 14.2 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 21° / 18° | 61 | 7.8 | 13.4 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 20° / 17° | 67 | 8 | 12.3 | 6.7 |
| Apr | 19° / 16° | 82 | 9.8 | 11.1 | 6.0 |
| May | 17° / 14° | 107 | 12.3 | 10.1 | 5.1 |
| Jun | 15° / 12° | 116 | 12.7 | 9.5 | 4.1 |
| Jul | 14° / 11° | 128 | 15 | 9.7 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 14° / 11° | 115 | 15.2 | 10.6 | 3.6 |
| Sep | 14° / 12° | 102 | 13.4 | 11.7 | 4.0 |
| Oct | 16° / 13° | 84 | 11.9 | 13 | 4.6 |
| Nov | 17° / 14° | 76 | 11.1 | 14 | 5.2 |
| Dec | 19° / 16° | 91 | 10.9 | 14.5 | 5.9 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Henderson gets around 223 mm of rain over 27 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 18 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min in early December to 12 h 54 min 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 6.7 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Henderson
In summer, Henderson overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Henderson?
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 Henderson for sightseeing.
What to pack for Henderson in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Henderson sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 17°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Henderson 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 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 | 16 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Bracing |
| Aug | 14 | Bracing |
| Sep | 14 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 19 | Cool |
UV index in Henderson 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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 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 | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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 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.