Rangiora weather in December

In December, Rangiora sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 75 mm of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 15.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 hours at the start of December to 15 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Rangiora's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rangiora's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
10°
10th coldest
Rainfall
75 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
15 h 12 min
5:50 AM – 9:02 PM
Cloud cover
67%
12th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.81 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Rangiora is largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury Region, New Zealand..

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
1,147/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical December day in Rangiora reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 24°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)
1189
2189
3189
4189
51810
61810
71810
81810
91910
101910
111910
121910
131910
141910
151910
161910
171910
181910
191910
201910
211910
221910
231910
241911
251911
262011
272011
282011
292011
302011
312011

How December really feels in Rangiora

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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

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

Rangiora weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 11°7210.2014.86.3
Feb20° / 11°588013.86.6
Mar19° / 10°578.1012.46.3
Apr16° / 669.80.110.85.2
May14° / 5990.29.54.0
Jun11° / 7310.30.98.92.6
Jul10° / 689.60.69.12.4
Aug12° / 6710.80.910.22.9
Sep14° / 6511.10.411.73.8
Oct15° / 8112.90.213.24.4
Nov17° / 7812014.55.1
Dec19° / 10°7511.3015.25.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43466
53565
63565
73565
83763
93763
103763
113664
123664
133664
143664
153664
163763
173763
183763
193763
203763
213862
223862
233862
243862
253862
264060
274060
284159
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Rangiora gets around 75 mm of rain over 11.3 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 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
238
338
438
538
638
738
838
938
1038
1138
1238
1339
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1937
2037
2136
2236
2335
2435
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3034
3134

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 86% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19091
289101
389101
489101
588111
688111
787121
887121
987121
1087130
1187130
1287130
1387130
1487130
1587130
1687130
1787130
1887130
1987130
2086140
2186140
2285141
2385141
2485141
2585141
2685141
2784151
2884151
2983161
3083161
3182171

Wind in December

Winds average 12 km/h in December, the windiest month of the year.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 hours at the start of December to 15 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 8:49 PM to 9:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.05:508:49
215.05:508:50
315.05:508:51
415.05:508:52
515.15:498:53
615.15:498:54
715.15:498:55
815.15:498:55
915.15:498:56
1015.15:498:57
1115.15:498:58
1215.25:498:59
1315.25:499:00
1415.25:509:00
1515.25:509:01
1615.25:509:02
1715.25:509:02
1815.25:519:03
1915.25:519:04
2015.25:519:04
2115.25:529:05
2215.25:529:05
2315.25:539:06
2415.25:539:06
2515.25:549:06
2615.25:549:07
2715.25:559:07
2815.25:569:07
2915.25:569:08
3015.25:579:08
3115.25:589:08

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.81 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.47 kWh/m² to a high of 6.96 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.81 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.7Intense
86.7Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.8Intense
136.8Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.2Intense
257.2Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.4Intense
297.4Intense
307.4Intense
317.4Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Rangiora?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
2.4
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Rangiora for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rangiora in December

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

In December, Rangiora sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Rangiora in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 25 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 9°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Rangiora in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rangiora peaks around January 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 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 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Rangiora?

Rangiora sits at 43.3°S, 172.6°E, 36 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Christchurch, 26 km away.

AshburtonKaikouraTimaruTekapoFranz JosefRichmond

Topography around Rangiora

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rangiora has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 34 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 424 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,136 m.

The land around Rangiora is covered by grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
424 m
80 km
2,136 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Christchurch 26 km · Rolleston 35 km · Ashburton 95 km · Kaikoura 133 km · Timaru 162 km · Tekapo 186 km · Franz Josef 194 km · Richmond 225 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 Rangiora (-43.3044°, 172.5836°, elevation 36 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).