Timaru weather in August

In August, Timaru sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 53 mm of precipitation across 9.1 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Timaru's 5th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timaru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
10th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
53 mm
9.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 06 min
8:35 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.46 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
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 August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 10°C through the month.

A typical August day in Timaru reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, August runs about 1°C warmer than July and about 2°C cooler than September.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
194
294
394
494
594
694
794
894
994
1094
1194
1294
13104
14104
15104
16104
17104
18104
19104
20104
21104
22104
23104
24104
25104
26105
27105
28105
29115
30115
31115

How August really feels in Timaru

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August 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

August 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 August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 10th-warmest and 9th-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 August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

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

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34555
44555
54555
64555
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134654
144654
154654
164753
174753
184753
194753
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
265050
274951
284951
294852
304852
314753

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitationSnow

Timaru gets around 53 mm of rain and snow over 9.1 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 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1251
2251
3261
4261
5271
6271
7282
8292
9292
10302
11312
12311
13311
14311
15321
16321
17321
18321
19321
20311
21311
22311
23301
24301
25301
26301
27291
28291
29291
30291
31291

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 12 km/h in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
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
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

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 8:56 AM to 8:09 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 7:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.58:566:26
29.58:556:27
39.68:546:28
49.68:536:29
59.78:516:30
69.78:506:31
79.78:486:33
89.88:476:34
99.88:466:35
109.98:446:36
119.98:436:37
1210.08:416:38
1310.08:406:40
1410.08:386:41
1510.18:376:42
1610.18:356:43
1710.28:336:44
1810.28:326:46
1910.38:306:47
2010.38:286:48
2110.48:276:49
2210.48:256:50
2310.58:236:52
2410.58:226:53
2510.68:206:54
2610.68:186:55
2710.78:166:56
2810.78:146:57
2910.88:136:59
3010.88:117:00
3110.98:097:01

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 2.46 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 — August's 2.46 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.0Dim
22.0Dim
32.0Moderate
42.0Moderate
52.1Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.3Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.9Moderate
272.9Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.1Moderate
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Timaru?

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

2.2
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 Timaru.

What to pack for Timaru in August

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

In August, Timaru sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Timaru in August

The nearest coast averages about 9°C in August — 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 August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 2. 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 August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where August 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
August 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).