Nelson in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Nelson sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 307 mm of rain over about 31 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 17°C in early December to 19°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Nelson's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Nelson's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 13°C
- Rainfall
- 307 mm
- 31 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.1
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Nelson in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 17°C in early December to 19°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Nelson reaches about 19°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Nelson 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 | 19° / 14° | 102 | 9.8 | 14.6 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 20° / 14° | 80 | 8.1 | 13.7 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 18° / 13° | 93 | 8.8 | 12.3 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 16° / 11° | 108 | 10.5 | 10.9 | 4.9 |
| May | 13° / 9° | 120 | 10.7 | 9.7 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 11° / 7° | 127 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 2.8 |
| Jul | 10° / 6° | 110 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 11° / 6° | 114 | 11.8 | 10.3 | 2.6 |
| Sep | 12° / 7° | 117 | 12.2 | 11.7 | 3.2 |
| Oct | 14° / 9° | 131 | 13 | 13.1 | 3.9 |
| Nov | 16° / 10° | 109 | 11.6 | 14.3 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 18° / 13° | 125 | 12.8 | 14.9 | 5.4 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Nelson gets around 307 mm of rain over 31 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 10 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min in early December to 13 h 06 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 6.6 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Nelson?
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 Nelson for sightseeing.
What to pack for Nelson in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Nelson sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 31 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Nelson in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 19°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 18 km away) is warmest in February at about 20°C and coldest in August near 12°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) | 19 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 20 | Cool |
| Mar | 19 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 15 | Cool |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 12 | Bracing |
| Aug | 12 | Bracing |
| Sep | 12 | Bracing |
| Oct | 14 | Bracing |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 17 | Cool |
UV index in Nelson in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Nelson peaks around January 1 at about 11 (extreme) — 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 8 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Extreme |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Where is Nelson?
Nelson sits at 41.3°S, 173.3°E, 11 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Stoke, 7.0 km away.
Topography around Nelson
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Nelson.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Nelson has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 403 m around an average of 62 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,211 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,095 m.
The land around Nelson is covered by trees (42%) and water (32%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and water (38%) within 16 km, and trees (48%), water (28%) and grassland (21%) 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 Nelson (-41.2708°, 173.284°, elevation 11 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.