Timaru weather in April

In April, Timaru sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 64 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 10.8 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of April to 10 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Timaru's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timaru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
7th coldest
Rainfall
64 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
8:12 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
61%
6th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
2.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.2
out of 10

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.

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical April day in Timaru reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 2°C cooler than March and about 2°C warmer than May.

10°15°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11610
21610
31610
41510
51510
61510
71510
81510
9159
10159
11159
12159
13159
14149
15149
16149
17149
18149
19149
20149
21149
22149
23148
24148
25148
26148
27148
28138
29138
30138

How April really feels in Timaru

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April 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

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

Timaru weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 12°8112.80155.3
Feb18° / 13°7210.7013.95.5
Mar17° / 11°6310.1012.45.2
Apr14° / 6410.5010.84.2
May12° / 528.309.43.3
Jun / 518.60.68.72.0
Jul / 547.70.391.7
Aug10° / 539.10.410.22.2
Sep12° / 4890.411.73.0
Oct13° / 6211.50.113.23.5
Nov15° / 7412.60.114.64.0
Dec16° / 11°8013.8015.34.6

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24852
34852
44852
54852
64852
74852
84951
94852
104852
114852
124951
134852
144852
154852
164753
174753
184654
194555
204555
214555
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294555
304555

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Timaru gets around 64 mm of rain over 10.5 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
132
232
333
433
534
634
734
835
935
1035
1135
1235
1335
1434
1534
1634
1734
1834
1933
2034
2134
2234
2334
2433
2533
2633
2732
2832
2931
3031

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April 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%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1937
2946
3946
4955
5964
6973
7973
8982
9982
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000

Wind in April

Winds average 12 km/h in April.

Across April, 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.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of April to 10 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 7:53 AM to 8:30 AM, and sunset from 7:26 PM to 6:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.57:537:26
211.57:557:24
311.47:567:22
411.47:577:20
511.37:587:18
611.38:007:16
711.28:017:15
811.28:027:13
911.18:037:11
1011.18:057:09
1111.08:067:07
1211.08:077:05
1310.98:087:04
1410.98:107:02
1510.88:117:00
1610.88:126:58
1710.78:136:56
1810.78:156:55
1910.68:166:53
2010.68:176:51
2110.58:186:50
2210.58:206:48
2310.48:216:46
2410.48:226:45
2510.38:236:43
2610.38:256:41
2710.28:266:40
2810.28:276:38
2910.18:286:37
3010.18:306:35

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 2.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in January across the year — April's 2.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.4Moderate
63.3Moderate
73.3Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.1Moderate
113.1Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
142.9Moderate
152.9Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.8Moderate
192.7Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.5Moderate
242.5Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.4Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Timaru?

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

4.2
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Timaru for sightseeing.

What to pack for Timaru in April

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

In April, Timaru sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Timaru in April

The nearest coast averages about 14°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

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.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Timaru in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high

Air quality in Timaru in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where April falls, not just the annual 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.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1822 µg/m³Jun 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr11Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul8Good
Aug12Good
Sep23Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov17Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

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.

RollestonFranz JosefChristchurchRangioraWanakaDunedin

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.

3 km
57 m
16 km
383 m
80 km
2,287 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Ashburton 67 km · Tekapo 75 km · Rolleston 128 km · Franz Josef 141 km · Christchurch 146 km · Rangiora 162 km · Wanaka 170 km · Dunedin 175 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 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).