Tekapo weather in August

In August, Tekapo sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 88 mm of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 30 min at the start of August to 10 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Tekapo's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tekapo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
2nd coldest
Precipitation
88 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
8:37 AM – 6:47 PM
Cloud cover
61%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.2
out of 10

Tekapo is locality in Mackenzie District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand.

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

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 5°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical August day in Tekapo reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and about 3°C cooler than September.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
15-1
25-1
35-1
45-1
55-1
65-1
75-1
85-1
95-1
105-1
115-1
125-1
135-1
145-1
155-1
165-1
175-1
185-1
195-1
206-1
216-1
226-1
236-1
246-1
2560
2660
2760
2870
2970
3070
3170

How August really feels in Tekapo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Tekapo weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 10810.90.114.95.6
Feb18° / 869.40.113.85.8
Mar16° / 939.40.212.45.0
Apr13° / 9710.60.910.83.5
May / 10511.429.51.9
Jun / -1°9710.64.38.80.2
Jul / -2°9410.35.690.0
Aug / -1°8811.25.110.20.2
Sep / 10312.7411.71.5
Oct11° / 11913.63.513.22.5
Nov14° / 11112.7214.63.6
Dec16° / 11412.50.415.24.6

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34357
44258
54258
64258
74258
84258
94357
104456
114456
124456
134555
144555
154555
164654
174753
184753
194852
204951
214951
224951
235050
245050
255149
265149
275149
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitationSnow

Tekapo gets around 88 mm of rain and snow over 11.2 wet days in August. 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 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13417
23417
33517
43517
53617
63618
73718
83718
93818
103819
113819
123919
133919
143919
153919
163919
173919
183918
193818
203817
213717
223716
233616
243615
253615
263615
273715
283715
293815
303815
313915

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August 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 August

Winds average 6 km/h in August.

Across August, 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.

0246810151015202531
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
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min at the start of August to 10 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 8:58 AM to 8:12 AM, and sunset from 6:30 PM to 7:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.58:586:30
29.68:576:31
39.68:566:32
49.68:556:33
59.78:536:34
69.78:526:36
79.88:516:37
89.88:496:38
99.98:486:39
109.98:466:40
119.98:456:41
1210.08:436:42
1310.08:426:44
1410.18:406:45
1510.18:396:46
1610.28:376:47
1710.28:366:48
1810.38:346:49
1910.38:326:51
2010.38:316:52
2110.48:296:53
2210.48:276:54
2310.58:266:55
2410.58:246:56
2510.68:226:58
2610.68:216:59
2710.78:197:00
2810.78:177:01
2910.88:157:02
3010.88:137:03
3110.98:127:05

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 2.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in January across the year — August's 2.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.1Moderate
32.1Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.2Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.4Moderate
112.4Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.5Moderate
152.5Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.6Moderate
182.7Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.8Moderate
212.8Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.9Moderate
253.0Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Tekapo?

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

0.2
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tekapo.

What to pack for Tekapo in August

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

In August, Tekapo sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Tekapo in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tekapo peaks around January 16 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 16UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct6High
Nov9Very high
Dec10Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Tekapo?

Tekapo sits at 44.0°S, 170.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Franz Josef, 73 km away.

AshburtonWanakaRollestonChristchurchQueenstownRangiora

Topography around Tekapo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tekapo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 m around an average of 746 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,523 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,635 m.

The land around Tekapo is covered by grassland (65%) within 3 km, grassland (84%) within 16 km, and grassland (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
358 m
16 km
1,523 m
80 km
3,635 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
August weather nearby: Franz Josef 73 km · Timaru 75 km · Ashburton 101 km · Wanaka 131 km · Rolleston 160 km · Christchurch 181 km · Queenstown 184 km · Rangiora 186 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 Tekapo (-44.0064°, 170.4803°, 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).