Climate and average weather in Timaru
In Timaru, the summers are mild, showery, and partly cloudy and the winters are cool and partly cloudy.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Timaru typically varies from 3°C to 18°C, and is rarely below 0°C or above 22°C. February is the hottest month of the year, while July is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best time of year to visit Timaru for warm-weather activities is from early December to early April.
- Hottest
- Feb
- 18°
- Coldest
- Jul
- 3°
- Wettest
- Jan
- 81 mm
- Driest
- Sep
- 48 mm
- Rain / yr
- 754 mm
- 125 wet days
- Daylight
- 8.7–15.3 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 14 m
- 44.4°S
- Clearest
- May
- 59% cloud
Timaru is town in New Zealand's South Island.
- Air quality
- Moderate
- PM2.5 15 µg/m³ · 2012
- Density
- 862/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1868
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Timaru weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around early December to early April.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Timaru, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 4.0 months, from December 2 to April 2, with daily high temperatures above 16°C. The hottest month of the year in Timaru is February, with an average high of 18°C and low of 13°C.
The cool season lasts 2.7 months, from June 4 to August 25, with daily high temperatures below 10°C. The coldest month of the year in Timaru is July, with an average low of 3°C and high of 9°C.
Days typically run about 5°C warmer than nights year-round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| Avg low (°C) | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Avg high (°C) | Avg low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 12 |
| Feb | 18 | 13 |
| Mar | 17 | 11 |
| Apr | 14 | 9 |
| May | 12 | 7 |
| Jun | 9 | 4 |
| Jul | 9 | 3 |
| Aug | 10 | 4 |
| Sep | 12 | 6 |
| Oct | 13 | 7 |
| Nov | 15 | 9 |
| Dec | 16 | 11 |
How hot and cold Timaru really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the coldest nights, wind chill pulls the feels-like down to about -0°C (around July 3), with roughly 14 freezing days a year (feels-like at or below 0°C), worst in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| Air high (°C) | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| Feels-like low (°C) | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
| Air low (°C) | 12 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 |
| Feels-like high (°C) | Air high (°C) | Feels-like low (°C) | Air low (°C) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 18 | 12 | 12 |
| Feb | 18 | 18 | 12 | 13 |
| Mar | 17 | 17 | 11 | 11 |
| Apr | 14 | 14 | 7 | 9 |
| May | 12 | 12 | 4 | 7 |
| Jun | 9 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| Jul | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Aug | 10 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| Sep | 12 | 12 | 3 | 6 |
| Oct | 13 | 13 | 5 | 7 |
| Nov | 15 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
| Dec | 16 | 16 | 11 | 11 |
Average hourly temperature in Timaru
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on February afternoons, near 18°C, and coldest before dawn in July, near 3°C.
Timaru weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 12° | 81 | 12.8 | 0 | 15 | 5.3 |
| Feb | 18° / 13° | 72 | 10.7 | 0 | 13.9 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 17° / 11° | 63 | 10.1 | 0 | 12.4 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 14° / 9° | 64 | 10.5 | 0 | 10.8 | 4.2 |
| May | 12° / 7° | 52 | 8.3 | 0 | 9.4 | 3.3 |
| Jun | 9° / 4° | 51 | 8.6 | 0.6 | 8.7 | 2.0 |
| Jul | 9° / 3° | 54 | 7.7 | 0.3 | 9 | 1.7 |
| Aug | 10° / 4° | 53 | 9.1 | 0.4 | 10.2 | 2.2 |
| Sep | 12° / 6° | 48 | 9 | 0.4 | 11.7 | 3.0 |
| Oct | 13° / 7° | 62 | 11.5 | 0.1 | 13.2 | 3.5 |
| Nov | 15° / 9° | 74 | 12.6 | 0.1 | 14.6 | 4.0 |
| Dec | 16° / 11° | 80 | 13.8 | 0 | 15.3 | 4.6 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Timaru gets about 754 mm of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is often wet, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 5.4 months, from around Sep 28 to Mar 11, peaking in November at about 45% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jul 8.
January is the wettest month by volume, with 81 mm over about 13 wet days; September is the driest, with 48 mm.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 41 | 38 | 33 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 37 | 42 | 45 |
| Rain days | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 13 |
| Feb | 38 | 11 |
| Mar | 33 | 10 |
| Apr | 33 | 11 |
| May | 28 | 8 |
| Jun | 28 | 9 |
| Jul | 26 | 8 |
| Aug | 29 | 9 |
| Sep | 30 | 9 |
| Oct | 37 | 12 |
| Nov | 42 | 13 |
| Dec | 45 | 14 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Timaru collects about 754 mm of rain across 125 wet days — roughly 63 mm in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. January is the wettest month with 81 mm, while September is the driest at just 48 mm. The three wettest months alone bring about 31% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (mm) | 81 | 72 | 63 | 64 | 52 | 51 | 54 | 53 | 48 | 62 | 74 | 80 |
| Rain days | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| Snow days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainfall (mm) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81 | 13 | 0 |
| Feb | 72 | 11 | 0 |
| Mar | 63 | 10 | 0 |
| Apr | 64 | 11 | 0 |
| May | 52 | 8 | 0 |
| Jun | 51 | 9 | 1 |
| Jul | 54 | 8 | 0 |
| Aug | 53 | 9 | 0 |
| Sep | 48 | 9 | 0 |
| Oct | 62 | 12 | 0 |
| Nov | 74 | 13 | 0 |
| Dec | 80 | 14 | 0 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Timaru, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows moderate seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around March 13 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around September 30. The clearest month is May, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 49% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 5 and lasts for 4.2 months, ending around March 12. The cloudiest month is December, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 67% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 39 | 40 | 44 | 47 | 49 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 43 | 40 | 33 |
| Cloudier (%) | 61 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 57 | 60 | 67 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 61 |
| Feb | 40 | 60 |
| Mar | 44 | 56 |
| Apr | 47 | 53 |
| May | 49 | 51 |
| Jun | 48 | 52 |
| Jul | 48 | 52 |
| Aug | 47 | 53 |
| Sep | 46 | 54 |
| Oct | 43 | 57 |
| Nov | 40 | 60 |
| Dec | 33 | 67 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around January 1, brings about 15 h 18 min of light; the shortest, around June 10, only 8 h 42 min — a swing of roughly 6 h 36 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 9.0 | 10.2 | 11.7 | 13.2 | 14.6 | 15.3 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 6:14 | 6:54 | 7:33 | 8:12 | 8:49 | 9:15 | 9:12 | 8:35 | 7:38 | 6:42 | 6:01 | 5:51 |
| Sunset (PM) | 9:14 | 8:45 | 7:56 | 6:58 | 6:14 | 5:55 | 6:10 | 6:43 | 7:20 | 7:58 | 8:39 | 9:11 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.0 | 6:14 | 9:14 |
| Feb | 13.9 | 6:54 | 8:45 |
| Mar | 12.4 | 7:33 | 7:56 |
| Apr | 10.8 | 8:12 | 6:58 |
| May | 9.4 | 8:49 | 6:14 |
| Jun | 8.7 | 9:15 | 5:55 |
| Jul | 9.0 | 9:12 | 6:10 |
| Aug | 10.2 | 8:35 | 6:43 |
| Sep | 11.7 | 7:38 | 7:20 |
| Oct | 13.2 | 6:42 | 7:58 |
| Nov | 14.6 | 6:01 | 8:39 |
| Dec | 15.3 | 5:51 | 9:11 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Timaru averages about 8 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 5 and 10 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.4 months, from around Mar 21 to Oct 1. The sunniest month is July, with roughly 10 sunny days (mixed).
The greyest month is December, down near 5 sunny days — about 48% fewer than the July peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Sky | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Gloomy | Gloomy | Gloomy |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | Gloomy |
| Feb | 6 | Gloomy |
| Mar | 8 | Gloomy |
| Apr | 9 | Mixed |
| May | 10 | Mixed |
| Jun | 9 | Mixed |
| Jul | 10 | Mixed |
| Aug | 9 | Mixed |
| Sep | 9 | Mixed |
| Oct | 8 | Gloomy |
| Nov | 6 | Gloomy |
| Dec | 5 | Gloomy |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Timaru, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in February, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 4% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 74 | 67 | 85 | 98 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 98 | 86 |
| Comfortable (%) | 23 | 29 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| Humid (%) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74 | 23 | 3 |
| Feb | 67 | 29 | 4 |
| Mar | 85 | 15 | 0 |
| Apr | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 98 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 86 | 13 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Timaru is typically light breeze, near 13 km/h, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Sep 12 to Mar 21. The windiest month is November, averaging about 14 km/h (light breeze).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Mar 22 to Sep 11, with July the calmest month at about 11 km/h.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (km/h) | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Feels | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | calm | calm | calm | calm | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze | light breeze |
| Wind speed (km/h) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | light breeze |
| Feb | 13 | light breeze |
| Mar | 13 | light breeze |
| Apr | 12 | light breeze |
| May | 12 | calm |
| Jun | 11 | calm |
| Jul | 11 | calm |
| Aug | 12 | calm |
| Sep | 13 | light breeze |
| Oct | 14 | light breeze |
| Nov | 14 | light breeze |
| Dec | 14 | light breeze |
Best time to visit Timaru
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Timaru throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late March, Timaru is still near the tail of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds already thinning.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 18°C and 28°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Timaru for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to early April, with a peak score in the first week of February.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 |
| Rating | fair | fair | fair | fair | poor | poor | poor | poor | poor | fair | fair | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.3 | fair |
| Feb | 5.5 | fair |
| Mar | 5.2 | fair |
| Apr | 4.2 | fair |
| May | 3.3 | poor |
| Jun | 2.0 | poor |
| Jul | 1.7 | poor |
| Aug | 2.2 | poor |
| Sep | 3.0 | poor |
| Oct | 3.6 | fair |
| Nov | 4.0 | fair |
| Dec | 4.6 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 24°C and 34°C. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Timaru for hot-weather activities is from mid January to late February, with a peak score in the last week of January.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Timaru, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around February (highs near 18°C), the essentials are rain gear and sun protection. In the cold season around July (highs near 9°C), pack a warm layer.
In February, Timaru sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Timaru
Average ocean temperature at the nearest coast, month by month, banded into swim-comfort zones — the other half of the beach question.
The sea offshore 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 12 | Bracing |
| Jun | 10 | Bracing |
| Jul | 9 | Bracing |
| Aug | 9 | Bracing |
| Sep | 10 | Bracing |
| Oct | 11 | Bracing |
| Nov | 13 | Bracing |
| Dec | 15 | Bracing |
UV index (midday) in Timaru by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Timaru peaks around January 15 at about 10 (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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Level | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 3 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 1 | Low |
| Aug | 2 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 10 | Very high |
Average hourly UV index in Timaru
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in January the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 9 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 6.5 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 | 6 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 8 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 6 | 0 |
| Apr | 2 | 0 |
| May | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 0 | 0 |
| Sep | 3 | 0 |
| Oct | 6 | 0 |
| Nov | 8 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 9 | 6 |
Air quality in Timaru by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Timaru is worst in September — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Timaru's WHO annual average of 15 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 18 | 21 | 21 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Moderate |
| Feb | 21 | Moderate |
| Mar | 21 | Moderate |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 8 | Good |
| Jun | 7 | Good |
| Jul | 8 | Good |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 23 | Moderate |
| Oct | 16 | Moderate |
| Nov | 17 | Moderate |
| Dec | 18 | Moderate |
Growing season
Timaru is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 96 | 93 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Frost nights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 96 | 0 |
| Jul | 93 | 0 |
| Aug | 97 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 10°C: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Timaru banks about 648 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around February.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | 154 | 142 | 119 | 50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 55 | 115 |
| Growing degree days (°C·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 154 |
| Feb | 142 |
| Mar | 119 |
| Apr | 50 |
| May | 2 |
| Jun | 0 |
| Jul | 0 |
| Aug | 0 |
| Sep | 0 |
| Oct | 11 |
| Nov | 55 |
| Dec | 115 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Timaru receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.4 and 7.1 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Sep 20 to Mar 21. The brightest month is December, averaging about 6.7 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is June, down near 1.4 kWh/m² — roughly 79% less than the December peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 6.7 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
| Level | Intense | Bright | Bright | Moderate | Dim | Dim | Dim | Moderate | Moderate | Bright | Intense | Intense |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6.7 | Intense |
| Feb | 5.5 | Bright |
| Mar | 4.3 | Bright |
| Apr | 2.9 | Moderate |
| May | 1.9 | Dim |
| Jun | 1.4 | Dim |
| Jul | 1.6 | Dim |
| Aug | 2.5 | Moderate |
| Sep | 3.8 | Moderate |
| Oct | 5.2 | Bright |
| Nov | 6.3 | Intense |
| Dec | 6.6 | Intense |
Where is Timaru?
Timaru sits at 44.4°S, 171.3°E, 14 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Ashburton, 67 km away.
Topography around Timaru
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Timaru.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Timaru has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 11 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 383 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,287 m.
The land around Timaru is covered by water (44%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 3 km, water (47%) and grassland (28%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and water (28%) within 80 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
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 Timaru (-44.3967°, 171.2536°, elevation 14 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).