Invercargill in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Invercargill sees average daytime highs around 17°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 324 mm of rain over about 42 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Invercargill's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Invercargill's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 17°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 11°C
- Rainfall
- 324 mm
- 42 wet days
- Avg wind
- 20 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Invercargill in Summer
Across summer, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 17°C.
A typical summer day in Invercargill reaches about 17°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Invercargill 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 | 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 Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Invercargill gets around 324 mm of rain over 42 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 20 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 15 h 18 min in early December to 13 h 18 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 5.7 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Invercargill?
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 Invercargill for sightseeing.
What to pack for Invercargill in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Invercargill sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 42 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Invercargill in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 14°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 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 Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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 |
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.
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.