Napier weather in August

In August, Napier sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 71 mm of rain across 10.6 wet days and about 10.4 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 13°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 54 min at the start of August to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Napier's 4th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Napier's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
11th warmest
Overnight low
2nd coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
10.6 wet days
Daylight
10 h 24 min
8:03 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
53%
4th clearest
Wind
16 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
2.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Napier is city in the North Island of New Zealand.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 13.7 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
626/km²
people per km²
Founded
1851

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 13°C through the month.

A typical August day in Napier reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 8°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 1°C cooler than September.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1138
2138
3138
4138
5138
6138
7138
8138
9138
10138
11138
12138
13138
14138
15138
16138
17138
18138
19138
20138
21138
22138
23138
24138
25138
26148
27148
28148
29148
30149
31149

Napier weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 16°637.714.57.0
Feb22° / 17°56813.66.8
Mar20° / 15°658.212.36.7
Apr18° / 13°808.8116.1
May16° / 11°659.19.95.2
Jun14° / 7910.19.34.1
Jul13° / 9211.19.53.5
Aug13° / 7110.610.43.8
Sep15° / 629.411.74.6
Oct16° / 11°639.3135.4
Nov18° / 13°588.814.26.1
Dec20° / 15°589.314.76.4

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35545
45545
55545
65545
75545
85644
95545
105545
115644
125644
135743
145644
155743
165743
175743
185743
195842
205842
215743
225743
235842
245842
255842
265842
275842
285743
295842
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Napier gets around 71 mm of rain over 10.6 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
233
334
434
535
635
736
836
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1436
1536
1635
1735
1834
1934
2033
2133
2232
2332
2431
2531
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of August feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in August

Winds average 16 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 16 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min at the start of August to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 8:21 AM to 7:41 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.98:216:15
29.98:206:16
310.08:196:17
410.08:186:18
510.08:176:19
610.18:166:20
710.18:156:21
810.18:146:22
910.28:126:23
1010.28:116:24
1110.28:106:25
1210.38:096:26
1310.38:076:27
1410.48:066:28
1510.48:056:29
1610.48:036:30
1710.58:026:30
1810.58:016:31
1910.67:596:32
2010.67:586:33
2110.67:566:34
2210.77:556:35
2310.77:536:36
2410.87:526:37
2510.87:506:38
2610.87:496:39
2710.97:476:40
2810.97:466:41
2911.07:446:42
3011.07:436:43
3111.07:416:44

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 2.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.8 kWh/m² to a high of 6.98 kWh/m² in January across the year — August's 2.81 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.3Moderate
22.3Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.5Moderate
72.5Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.9Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.0Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.1Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.3Moderate
293.3Moderate
303.4Moderate
313.4Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Napier?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Napier.

What to pack for Napier in August

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

In August, Napier sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Napier in August

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in August — 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 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.

10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb20Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr18Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Napier in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Napier 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 Napier?

Napier sits at 39.5°S, 176.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Hastings, 17 km away.

TaupoGisbornePalmerston NorthRotoruaWhanganuiWhakataneLevin

Topography around Napier

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Napier has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 366 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,719 m.

The land around Napier is covered by water (52%) and artificial surfaces (31%) within 3 km, water (51%) and grassland (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%), water (32%) and trees (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
366 m
80 km
1,719 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
August weather nearby: Hastings 17 km · Taupo 115 km · Gisborne 133 km · Palmerston North 147 km · Rotorua 161 km · Whanganui 167 km · Whakatane 171 km · Levin 188 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 Napier (-39.4926°, 176.9123°, 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).