Palmerston North weather in February

In February, Palmerston North sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 64 mm of rain across 8.2 wet days and about 13.6 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 06 min at the start of February to 13 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Palmerston North's 2nd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston North's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
1st warmest
Overnight low
14°
12th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
8.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
6:44 AM – 8:20 PM
Cloud cover
60%
2nd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
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 February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month.

A typical February day in Palmerston North reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 2°C warmer than March.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12214
22214
32214
42214
52214
62214
72214
82214
92214
102214
112214
122214
132214
142214
152214
162214
172214
182214
192214
202214
212214
222214
232214
242213
252213
262213
272213
282113

Palmerston North weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 1st-warmest and 11th-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 February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44357
54456
64555
74555
84654
94654
104654
114951
124951
134951
144951
154951
164951
174852
184852
194852
204852
214852
224951
234852
244852
254852
264654
274654
284654

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Palmerston North gets around 64 mm of rain over 8.2 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
428
528
628
728
828
928
1028
1129
1229
1329
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2830

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 40% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14135195
24135195
34036195
44036195
54037194
63937194
73938194
83938194
93838194
103839203
113839203
123740203
133740202
143641202
153641202
163642202
173742202
183742192
193842191
203942181
214042171
224142161
234241161
244341151
254441141
264640130
274740130
284939120

Wind in February

Winds average 14 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 06 min at the start of February to 13 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 8:35 PM to 8:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.16:288:35
214.16:298:34
314.06:308:33
414.06:318:32
514.06:328:31
613.96:348:30
713.96:358:29
813.96:368:28
913.86:378:27
1013.86:388:26
1113.86:408:25
1213.76:418:24
1313.76:428:22
1413.66:438:21
1513.66:448:20
1613.66:468:19
1713.56:478:17
1813.56:488:16
1913.46:498:15
2013.46:508:14
2113.36:518:12
2213.36:538:11
2313.36:548:10
2413.26:558:08
2513.26:568:07
2613.16:578:05
2713.16:588:04
2813.07:008:02

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.68 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 — February's 5.68 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Palmerston North?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Palmerston North in February

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

In February, Palmerston North sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Palmerston North in February

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in February — 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 February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February 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
February 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).