Palmerston North weather in January

In January, Palmerston North sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 70 mm of rain across 10.4 wet days and about 14.5 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 48 min at the start of January to 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Palmerston North's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston North's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
14°
11th coldest
Rainfall
70 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
6:09 AM – 8:44 PM
Cloud cover
62%
4th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
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 January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical January day in Palmerston North reaches about 21°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 18°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12113
22113
32113
42113
52113
62113
72113
82113
92113
102113
112113
122113
132113
142114
152114
162114
172114
182114
192214
202214
212214
222214
232214
242214
252214
262214
272214
282214
292214
302214
312214

Palmerston North weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 10th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34456
44456
54555
64555
74654
84654
94753
104753
114654
124753
134753
144753
154654
164555
174555
184555
194456
204456
214357
224456
234357
244258
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Palmerston North gets around 70 mm of rain over 10.4 wet days in January. 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 39% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
238
338
438
538
637
737
837
937
1036
1136
1236
1335
1435
1535
1635
1734
1834
1933
2033
2132
2232
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2830
2930
3030
3130

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 45% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15136130
25136130
35136130
45037130
54937140
64937140
74937140
84838140
94838140
104738140
114738141
124738141
134639141
144639151
154539151
164539151
174439152
184438162
194438162
204338162
214338173
224237173
234237183
244237184
254137184
264136194
274136194
284136195
294135195
304135195
314135195

Wind in January

Winds average 15 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light 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
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min at the start of January to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:56 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 8:46 PM to 8:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.85:568:46
214.85:568:46
314.85:578:46
414.85:588:46
514.85:598:46
614.86:008:46
714.86:018:46
814.76:028:46
914.76:028:46
1014.76:038:46
1114.76:048:46
1214.76:058:45
1314.66:068:45
1414.66:078:45
1514.66:088:45
1614.66:098:44
1714.66:108:44
1814.56:128:43
1914.56:138:43
2014.56:148:43
2114.56:158:42
2214.46:168:42
2314.46:178:41
2414.46:188:40
2514.36:198:40
2614.36:218:39
2714.36:228:38
2814.26:238:38
2914.26:248:37
3014.26:258:36
3114.16:268:35

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 6.82 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — January's 6.82 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.1Intense
27.2Intense
37.2Intense
47.1Intense
57.1Intense
67.1Intense
77.0Intense
87.0Intense
96.9Intense
106.9Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.7Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.5Intense
176.5Intense
186.5Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Palmerston North?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Palmerston North in January

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

In January, Palmerston North sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Palmerston North in January

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (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
January 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).