Palmerston North weather in July

In July, Palmerston North sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 89 mm of rain across 13.4 wet days and about 9.4 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in July, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of July to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, July is Palmerston North's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston North's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 24 min
8:42 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
1.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
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 July

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 12°C through the month.

A typical July day in Palmerston North reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, July runs on par with June and on par with August.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1126
2126
3126
4126
5126
6126
7126
8126
9126
10126
11126
12126
13126
14126
15126
16126
17126
18126
19126
20126
21136
22136
23136
24136
25136
26136
27136
28136
29136
30136
31136

Palmerston North weather by month

How July compares with the rest of the year at a glance. July is the 12th-warmest and 6th-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 July

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in July.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of July, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44753
54654
64654
74654
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134357
144357
154456
164456
174456
184357
194258
204357
214357
224456
234555
244555
254555
264555
274555
284555
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in July

Any precipitation

Palmerston North gets around 89 mm of rain over 13.4 wet days in July. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
343
443
543
642
742
843
943
1043
1143
1244
1344
1445
1545
1646
1746
1846
1946
2046
2146
2245
2345
2445
2545
2644
2744
2844
2944
3044
3144

Humidity in July

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, July lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in July

Winds average 14 km/h in July.

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

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light 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
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in July

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of July to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over July. Sunrise moves from 8:46 AM to 8:30 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.28:465:56
29.28:465:56
39.28:465:56
49.28:465:57
59.28:465:57
69.28:465:58
79.28:455:59
89.28:455:59
99.38:456:00
109.38:446:00
119.38:446:01
129.38:446:02
139.38:436:03
149.38:436:03
159.48:426:04
169.48:426:05
179.48:416:06
189.48:406:06
199.58:406:07
209.58:396:08
219.58:386:09
229.58:386:10
239.68:376:10
249.68:366:11
259.68:356:12
269.68:346:13
279.78:336:14
289.78:336:15
299.78:326:16
309.88:316:17
319.88:306:18

Solar energy in July

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in July, about 1.78 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 — July's 1.78 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.7Dim
81.7Dim
91.7Dim
101.7Dim
111.7Dim
121.7Dim
131.7Dim
141.7Dim
151.7Dim
161.8Dim
171.8Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.8Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
262.0Dim
272.0Dim
282.0Moderate
292.0Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in July

Is July a good time to visit Palmerston North?

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

3.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

July is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palmerston North.

What to pack for Palmerston North in July

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

In July, Palmerston North sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Palmerston North in July

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in July — 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 July

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in July peaks around 2. 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
July 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).