Invercargill weather in December

In December, Invercargill sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 109 mm of rain across 15.5 wet days and about 15.5 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 18 min at the start of December to 15 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Invercargill's 12th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Invercargill's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 16°; 3rd warmest
Overnight low: 10°; 10th coldest
Rainfall: 109 mm; 15.5 wet days
Daylight: 15 h 36 min; 5:55 AM – 9:30 PM
Cloud cover: 73%; 12th clearest
Wind: 20 km/h; 6th windiest
Solar energy: 6.11 kWh/m²
Travel score: 4.3; out of 10

Invercargill is city in New Zealand's Southland region.

Air quality: Good; PM10 23.6 µg/m³ · 2012
Density: 118/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1853

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Invercargill year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month.

A typical December day in Invercargill reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	15	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17
Avg low (°C)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	10
2	15	10
3	16	10
4	16	10
5	16	10
6	16	10
7	16	10
8	16	10
9	16	10
10	16	10
11	16	10
12	16	10
13	16	10
14	16	10
15	16	10
16	16	10
17	16	10
18	16	10
19	16	11
20	16	11
21	16	11
22	16	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	17	11
31	17	11

Invercargill weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	17° / 11°	118	14.2	15.2	4.9
Feb	17° / 12°	97	12.1	14	5.1
Mar	16° / 10°	98	13.5	12.4	4.5
Apr	14° / 9°	95	13.5	10.7	3.7
May	12° / 7°	107	15.6	9.2	2.7
Jun	10° / 5°	93	15.6	8.5	1.9
Jul	9° / 5°	84	14.9	8.8	1.8
Aug	10° / 5°	81	14.8	10	2.2
Sep	12° / 6°	93	15.2	11.6	2.7
Oct	13° / 8°	119	17.5	13.3	3.0
Nov	14° / 9°	111	16.4	14.8	3.5
Dec	16° / 10°	109	15.5	15.5	4.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 9% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	32	32	32	31	31	31	30	30	30	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	30	30	30	31	31	31	31	31	31	32	31	31	32	30	30
Cloudier (%)	68	68	68	69	69	69	70	70	70	71	71	71	71	71	71	71	70	70	70	69	69	69	69	69	69	68	69	69	68	70	70

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	31	69
5	31	69
6	31	69
7	30	70
8	30	70
9	30	70
10	29	71
11	29	71
12	29	71
13	29	71
14	29	71
15	29	71
16	29	71
17	30	70
18	30	70
19	30	70
20	31	69
21	31	69
22	31	69
23	31	69
24	31	69
25	31	69
26	32	68
27	31	69
28	31	69
29	32	68
30	30	70
31	30	70

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Invercargill gets around 109 mm of rain over 15.5 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 50% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	52	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	51	50	50	50	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	51
3	51
4	51
5	51
6	51
7	51
8	51
9	51
10	51
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	51
15	51
16	51
17	51
18	50
19	50
20	50
21	49
22	49
23	49
24	49
25	49
26	49
27	49
28	49
29	49
30	49
31	49

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	94	94	93	93	93	93	93	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92	92
Comfortable (%)	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	8

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	94	6
2	94	6
3	93	7
4	93	7
5	93	7
6	93	7
7	93	7
8	92	8
9	92	8
10	92	8
11	92	8
12	92	8
13	92	8
14	92	8
15	92	8
16	92	8
17	92	8
18	92	8
19	92	8
20	92	8
21	92	8
22	92	8
23	92	8
24	92	8
25	92	8
26	92	8
27	92	8
28	92	8
29	92	8
30	92	8
31	92	8

Wind in December

Winds average 20 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	21	21	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20
Feels	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy	breezy

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	21	breezy
2	21	breezy
3	20	breezy
4	20	breezy
5	20	breezy
6	20	light breeze
7	20	light breeze
8	20	light breeze
9	20	light breeze
10	20	light breeze
11	20	light breeze
12	20	light breeze
13	20	light breeze
14	20	light breeze
15	20	light breeze
16	20	light breeze
17	20	light breeze
18	20	breezy
19	20	breezy
20	20	breezy
21	20	breezy
22	20	breezy
23	20	breezy
24	20	breezy
25	20	breezy
26	20	breezy
27	20	breezy
28	20	breezy
29	20	breezy
30	20	breezy
31	20	breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min at the start of December to 15 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 18 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 9:16 PM to 9:37 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	15.3	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.4	15.5	15.5	15.5	15.5	15.5	15.5	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6	15.6
Sunrise (AM)	5:56	5:56	5:56	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:54	5:54	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:55	5:56	5:56	5:56	5:57	5:57	5:58	5:58	5:59	5:59	6:00	6:01	6:01	6:02	6:03
Sunset (PM)	9:16	9:18	9:19	9:20	9:21	9:22	9:23	9:24	9:25	9:26	9:26	9:27	9:28	9:29	9:30	9:30	9:31	9:32	9:32	9:33	9:33	9:34	9:34	9:35	9:35	9:35	9:36	9:36	9:36	9:36	9:37

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	15.3	5:56	9:16
2	15.4	5:56	9:18
3	15.4	5:56	9:19
4	15.4	5:55	9:20
5	15.4	5:55	9:21
6	15.4	5:55	9:22
7	15.5	5:55	9:23
8	15.5	5:55	9:24
9	15.5	5:55	9:25
10	15.5	5:54	9:26
11	15.5	5:54	9:26
12	15.5	5:55	9:27
13	15.6	5:55	9:28
14	15.6	5:55	9:29
15	15.6	5:55	9:30
16	15.6	5:55	9:30
17	15.6	5:55	9:31
18	15.6	5:56	9:32
19	15.6	5:56	9:32
20	15.6	5:56	9:33
21	15.6	5:57	9:33
22	15.6	5:57	9:34
23	15.6	5:58	9:34
24	15.6	5:58	9:35
25	15.6	5:59	9:35
26	15.6	5:59	9:35
27	15.6	6:00	9:36
28	15.6	6:01	9:36
29	15.6	6:01	9:36
30	15.6	6:02	9:36
31	15.6	6:03	9:37

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.11 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 6.11 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.4	6.4	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.5	6.5
Level	Bright	Bright	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense	Intense

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	6.0	Bright
2	6.0	Bright
3	6.0	Intense
4	6.0	Intense
5	6.0	Intense
6	6.0	Intense
7	6.0	Intense
8	6.0	Intense
9	6.0	Intense
10	6.0	Intense
11	6.0	Intense
12	6.0	Intense
13	6.0	Intense
14	6.0	Intense
15	6.0	Intense
16	6.1	Intense
17	6.1	Intense
18	6.1	Intense
19	6.1	Intense
20	6.2	Intense
21	6.2	Intense
22	6.3	Intense
23	6.3	Intense
24	6.3	Intense
25	6.4	Intense
26	6.4	Intense
27	6.4	Intense
28	6.5	Intense
29	6.5	Intense
30	6.5	Intense
31	6.5	Intense

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Invercargill?

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

4.3

Sightseeing

4th-best month of the year

0.6

Beach & pool

4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Invercargill for sightseeing.

What to pack for Invercargill in December

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

In December, Invercargill sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layer

Sea temperature near Invercargill in December

The nearest coast averages about 14°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 17 km away) is warmest in February at about 15°C and coldest in August near 10°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°C)	15	15	15	14	13	11	11	10	11	12	13	14
Comfort	Bracing	Cool	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°C)	Comfort
Jan	15	Bracing
Feb	15	Cool
Mar	15	Bracing
Apr	14	Bracing
May	13	Bracing
Jun	11	Bracing
Jul	11	Bracing
Aug	10	Bracing
Sep	11	Bracing
Oct	12	Bracing
Nov	13	Bracing
Dec	14	Bracing

UV index in Invercargill in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Invercargill peaks around January 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	10	8	5	3	1	1	1	2	3	5	7	9
Level	Very high	Very high	High	Moderate	Low	Low	Low	Low	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	10	Very high
Feb	8	Very high
Mar	5	High
Apr	3	Moderate
May	1	Low
Jun	1	Low
Jul	1	Low
Aug	2	Low
Sep	3	Moderate
Oct	5	High
Nov	7	Very high
Dec	9	Very high

Location & terrain

Where is Invercargill?

Invercargill sits at 46.4°S, 168.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Queenstown, 154 km away.

Topography around Invercargill

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Invercargill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,492 m.

The land around Invercargill is covered by grassland (45%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km

21 m

grassland 45%

16 km

193 m

grassland 69%

80 km

1,492 m

grassland 41%

treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland

← November Invercargill year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Queenstown 154 km · Dunedin 176 km · Wanaka 199 km · Tekapo 314 km · Timaru 318 km · Franz Josef 365 km · Ashburton 384 km · Rolleston 446 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 Invercargill (-46.4°, 168.35°, elevation 6 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	10
2	15	10
3	16	10
4	16	10
5	16	10
6	16	10
7	16	10
8	16	10
9	16	10
10	16	10
11	16	10
12	16	10
13	16	10
14	16	10
15	16	10
16	16	10
17	16	10
18	16	10
19	16	11
20	16	11
21	16	11
22	16	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	17	11
31	17	11

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	31	69
5	31	69
6	31	69
7	30	70
8	30	70
9	30	70
10	29	71
11	29	71
12	29	71
13	29	71
14	29	71
15	29	71
16	29	71
17	30	70
18	30	70
19	30	70
20	31	69
21	31	69
22	31	69
23	31	69
24	31	69
25	31	69
26	32	68
27	31	69
28	31	69
29	32	68
30	30	70
31	30	70

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	51
3	51
4	51
5	51
6	51
7	51
8	51
9	51
10	51
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	51
15	51
16	51
17	51
18	50
19	50
20	50
21	49
22	49
23	49
24	49
25	49
26	49
27	49
28	49
29	49
30	49
31	49

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	94	6
2	94	6
3	93	7
4	93	7
5	93	7
6	93	7
7	93	7
8	92	8
9	92	8
10	92	8
11	92	8
12	92	8
13	92	8
14	92	8
15	92	8
16	92	8
17	92	8
18	92	8
19	92	8
20	92	8
21	92	8
22	92	8
23	92	8
24	92	8
25	92	8
26	92	8
27	92	8
28	92	8
29	92	8
30	92	8
31	92	8

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	10
2	15	10
3	16	10
4	16	10
5	16	10
6	16	10
7	16	10
8	16	10
9	16	10
10	16	10
11	16	10
12	16	10
13	16	10
14	16	10
15	16	10
16	16	10
17	16	10
18	16	10
19	16	11
20	16	11
21	16	11
22	16	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	17	11
31	17	11

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	31	69
5	31	69
6	31	69
7	30	70
8	30	70
9	30	70
10	29	71
11	29	71
12	29	71
13	29	71
14	29	71
15	29	71
16	29	71
17	30	70
18	30	70
19	30	70
20	31	69
21	31	69
22	31	69
23	31	69
24	31	69
25	31	69
26	32	68
27	31	69
28	31	69
29	32	68
30	30	70
31	30	70

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	51
3	51
4	51
5	51
6	51
7	51
8	51
9	51
10	51
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	51
15	51
16	51
17	51
18	50
19	50
20	50
21	49
22	49
23	49
24	49
25	49
26	49
27	49
28	49
29	49
30	49
31	49

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	94	6
2	94	6
3	93	7
4	93	7
5	93	7
6	93	7
7	93	7
8	92	8
9	92	8
10	92	8
11	92	8
12	92	8
13	92	8
14	92	8
15	92	8
16	92	8
17	92	8
18	92	8
19	92	8
20	92	8
21	92	8
22	92	8
23	92	8
24	92	8
25	92	8
26	92	8
27	92	8
28	92	8
29	92	8
30	92	8
31	92	8

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	15	10
2	15	10
3	16	10
4	16	10
5	16	10
6	16	10
7	16	10
8	16	10
9	16	10
10	16	10
11	16	10
12	16	10
13	16	10
14	16	10
15	16	10
16	16	10
17	16	10
18	16	10
19	16	11
20	16	11
21	16	11
22	16	11
23	17	11
24	17	11
25	17	11
26	17	11
27	17	11
28	17	11
29	17	11
30	17	11
31	17	11

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	32	68
2	32	68
3	32	68
4	31	69
5	31	69
6	31	69
7	30	70
8	30	70
9	30	70
10	29	71
11	29	71
12	29	71
13	29	71
14	29	71
15	29	71
16	29	71
17	30	70
18	30	70
19	30	70
20	31	69
21	31	69
22	31	69
23	31	69
24	31	69
25	31	69
26	32	68
27	31	69
28	31	69
29	32	68
30	30	70
31	30	70

	Rain chance (%)
1	52
2	51
3	51
4	51
5	51
6	51
7	51
8	51
9	51
10	51
11	51
12	51
13	51
14	51
15	51
16	51
17	51
18	50
19	50
20	50
21	49
22	49
23	49
24	49
25	49
26	49
27	49
28	49
29	49
30	49
31	49

	Dry (%)	Comfortable (%)
1	94	6
2	94	6
3	93	7
4	93	7
5	93	7
6	93	7
7	93	7
8	92	8
9	92	8
10	92	8
11	92	8
12	92	8
13	92	8
14	92	8
15	92	8
16	92	8
17	92	8
18	92	8
19	92	8
20	92	8
21	92	8
22	92	8
23	92	8
24	92	8
25	92	8
26	92	8
27	92	8
28	92	8
29	92	8
30	92	8
31	92	8