Queenstown weather in February

In February, Queenstown sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 92 mm of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 30 min at the start of February to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Queenstown's 1st-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Queenstown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
1st warmest
Overnight low
12th coldest
Precipitation
92 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
13 h 54 min
7:03 AM – 8:56 PM
Cloud cover
67%
1st clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Queenstown is resort town in Otago Region, New Zealand.

Founded
1863

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 16°C through the month.

A typical February day in Queenstown reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 2°C warmer than March.

10°15°20°25°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1178
2178
3178
4178
5178
6178
7178
8168
9168
10168
11168
12168
13168
14168
15168
16168
17167
18167
19167
20167
21167
22167
23157
24157
25157
26157
27156
28156

How February really feels in Queenstown

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

February sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Queenstown weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 1st-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 12712.30.5154.6
Feb16° / 9210.30.313.94.8
Mar14° / 10811.80.512.43.8
Apr11° / 10111.31.810.82.4
May / 12514.35.29.40.7
Jun / -3°9812.67.98.60.0
Jul / -4°9011.28.98.90.0
Aug / -2°8911.38.410.10.0
Sep / -1°12513.78.111.70.2
Oct / 13315.36.413.31.3
Nov11° / 13114.63.914.72.5
Dec14° / 13514.9115.43.6

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in February, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33466
43466
53466
63367
73367
83466
93367
103466
113466
123565
133565
143664
153565
163664
173664
183763
193763
203862
213961
223961
233961
243961
253961
263961
274060
284060

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Queenstown gets around 92 mm of rain and snow over 10.3 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
135
235
335
435
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1135
1236
1336
1437
1537
1638
1738
1838
1938
2039
2139
2239
2339
2439
2539
2639
2739
2838

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000

Wind in February

Winds average 6 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min at the start of February to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 78 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 7:22 AM, and sunset from 9:14 PM to 8:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.56:449:14
214.56:459:13
314.46:469:12
414.46:489:11
514.36:499:10
614.36:519:08
714.36:529:07
814.26:549:06
914.26:559:05
1014.16:569:03
1114.16:589:02
1214.06:599:01
1314.07:018:59
1413.97:028:58
1513.97:038:56
1613.87:058:55
1713.87:068:53
1813.77:088:52
1913.77:098:50
2013.67:118:49
2113.67:128:47
2213.57:138:46
2313.57:158:44
2413.47:168:43
2513.47:188:41
2613.37:198:39
2713.37:208:37
2813.27:228:36

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.18 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in January across the year — February's 5.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.4Bright
145.4Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.8Bright
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Queenstown?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

February is a reasonable time to visit Queenstown for sightseeing.

What to pack for Queenstown in February

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

In February, Queenstown sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Queenstown in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Queenstown peaks around January 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 14UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Queenstown?

Queenstown sits at 45.0°S, 168.7°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Wanaka, 53 km away.

InvercargillDunedinTekapoTimaruFranz JosefAshburtonRolleston

Topography around Queenstown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Queenstown has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,008 m around an average of 513 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,956 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,884 m.

The land around Queenstown is covered by trees (42%) and water (32%) within 3 km, grassland (55%) and trees (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (64%) and trees (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
1,008 m
16 km
1,956 m
80 km
2,884 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
February weather nearby: Wanaka 53 km · Invercargill 154 km · Dunedin 172 km · Tekapo 184 km · Timaru 216 km · Franz Josef 219 km · Ashburton 274 km · Rolleston 337 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 Queenstown (-45.0302°, 168.6627°, elevation 0 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. 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).