Napier in Fall

In fall (March, April and May), Napier sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 210 mm of rain over about 26 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs ease from about 21°C in early March to 15°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.

Fall is Napier's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Napier's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
18°C
2nd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
13°C
Rainfall
210 mm
26 wet days
Avg wind
15 km/h
Travel score
6.0
2nd-best season
Months
Mar · Apr · May

Temperature in Napier in Fall

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs ease from about 21°C in early March to 15°C by late May.

A typical fall day in Napier reaches about 18°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.

10°15°20°25°MarAprMay

Napier weather by month

How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Fall

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across fall.

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Chance of precipitation in Fall

Any precipitation

Napier gets around 210 mm of rain over 26 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%MarAprMay

Humidity in Fall

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%MarAprMay

Wind in Fall

Winds average 15 km/h across fall.

05101520MarAprMay

Sunrise & sunset in Fall

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early March to 9 h 24 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMMarAprMay

Solar energy in Fall

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.3 kWh/m².

0246MarAprMay
Planning a trip in fall

Is fall a good time to visit Napier?

Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

6.0
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

fall is a reasonable time to visit Napier for sightseeing.

What to pack for Napier in Fall

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

In fall, Napier sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 26 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Napier in Fall

The nearest coast averages about 18°C across fall — 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 Fall

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 5 — 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
Fall 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.