Palmerston North weather in December

In December, Palmerston North sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 98 mm of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 14.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 42 min at the start of December to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Palmerston North's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston North's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
4th warmest
Overnight low
12°
10th coldest
Rainfall
98 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 54 min
5:48 AM – 8:40 PM
Cloud cover
68%
12th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Palmerston North is city on the North Island in New Zealand.

Density
278/km²
people per km²
Founded
1877

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month.

A typical December day in Palmerston North reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11911
21912
31912
41912
51912
61912
71912
81912
91912
101912
112012
122012
132012
142012
152012
162012
172012
182013
192013
202013
212013
222013
232013
242013
252013
262013
272013
282013
292013
302013
312113

Palmerston North weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 14°7010.414.56.4
Feb22° / 14°648.213.66.8
Mar20° / 12°629.612.36.4
Apr18° / 10°8210.5115.7
May15° / 7911.89.84.5
Jun13° / 9013.39.23.4
Jul12° / 8913.49.43.1
Aug13° / 8913.910.43.3
Sep14° / 9414.411.73.8
Oct16° / 1101513.14.3
Nov18° / 10°8713.614.25.1
Dec20° / 12°9813.514.85.6

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43664
53664
63664
73664
83565
93565
103565
113565
123565
133565
143565
153565
163565
173565
183565
193466
203565
213565
223466
233565
243664
253763
263763
273862
283862
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Palmerston North gets around 98 mm of rain over 13.5 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 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
344
444
544
644
744
844
944
1044
1144
1244
1344
1444
1544
1644
1744
1844
1944
2044
2143
2243
2343
2443
2542
2642
2741
2841
2940
3039
3139

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 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1702730
2692830
3672940
4672940
5653050
6653050
7643060
8643060
9633070
10633070
11623080
12623080
13623080
14623080
15613090
16603091
17603091
18603091
19593191
205831101
215732101
225732101
235732101
245533111
255533111
265533111
275434111
285334121
295334121
305335120
315335120

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, 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
116light breeze
216light breeze
316light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 42 min at the start of December to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:47 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 8:27 PM to 8:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.75:478:27
214.75:478:28
314.75:478:29
414.75:478:30
514.75:478:31
614.85:478:32
714.85:478:33
814.85:478:34
914.85:478:35
1014.85:478:35
1114.85:478:36
1214.85:478:37
1314.85:478:38
1414.95:478:38
1514.95:488:39
1614.95:488:40
1714.95:488:40
1814.95:488:41
1914.95:498:41
2014.95:498:42
2114.95:508:43
2214.95:508:43
2314.95:518:43
2414.95:518:44
2514.95:528:44
2614.95:528:45
2714.95:538:45
2814.95:538:45
2914.95:548:46
3014.95:558:46
3114.85:558:46

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.37 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.3Intense
36.3Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.4Intense
136.4Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.6Intense
226.6Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.8Intense
266.9Intense
276.9Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Palmerston North?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Palmerston North for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palmerston North in December

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

In December, Palmerston North sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Palmerston North in December

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 41 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

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

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Palmerston North in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks 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 Palmerston North peaks around January 13 at about 11 (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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 11Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7High
Apr4Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Extreme
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston North?

Palmerston North sits at 40.4°S, 175.6°E, 34 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Levin, 42 km away.

PoriruaLower HuttWainuiomata

Topography around Palmerston North

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston North has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 54 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 611 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,719 m.

The land around Palmerston North is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
54 m
16 km
611 m
80 km
1,719 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Levin 42 km · Whanganui 67 km · Masterton 67 km · Paraparaumu 80 km · Upper Hutt 99 km · Porirua 108 km · Lower Hutt 112 km · Wainuiomata 116 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 Palmerston North (-40.3564°, 175.6111°, elevation 34 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).