Timaru weather in February

In February, Timaru sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 72 mm of rain across 10.7 wet days and about 13.9 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of February to 13 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Timaru's 9th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Timaru's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
1st warmest
Overnight low
13°
12th coldest
Rainfall
72 mm
10.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 48 min
6:54 AM – 8:45 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.55 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
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 February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical February day in Timaru reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, February runs on par with January and about 1°C warmer than March.

10°15°20°25°151015202528
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11813
21813
31813
41813
51813
61813
71813
81813
91813
101813
111813
121813
131813
141813
151813
161813
171813
181813
191813
201812
211812
221812
231812
241812
251812
261712
271712
281712

How February really feels in Timaru

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February 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

February 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 February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 1st-warmest and 4th-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 February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in February.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54060
64060
74060
84060
93961
103961
113961
123961
134060
144060
154060
164060
173961
183961
193961
204060
214060
224060
234060
243961
254060
264060
274060
284060

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitation

Timaru gets around 72 mm of rain over 10.7 wet days in February. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202528
Rain chance (%)
137
237
337
437
538
638
738
838
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1740
1840
1939
2039
2139
2239
2339
2438
2538
2638
2738
2838

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 66% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
164297
265296
364306
464306
564306
664306
764306
865305
965305
1065305
1164315
1264315
1365314
1464324
1564324
1664324
1765323
1865323
1965323
2066313
2167312
2268302
2369292
2470282
2571272
2672262
2773252
2875241

Wind in February

Winds average 13 km/h in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202528
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of February to 13 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 7:12 AM, and sunset from 9:02 PM to 8:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.46:359:02
214.46:369:01
314.46:389:00
414.36:398:59
514.36:408:58
614.26:428:56
714.26:438:55
814.26:458:54
914.16:468:53
1014.16:478:52
1114.06:498:50
1214.06:508:49
1313.96:528:48
1413.96:538:46
1513.86:548:45
1613.86:568:43
1713.76:578:42
1813.76:598:40
1913.77:008:39
2013.67:018:37
2113.67:038:36
2213.57:048:34
2313.57:058:33
2413.47:078:31
2513.47:088:30
2613.37:098:28
2713.37:118:26
2813.27:128:25

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 5.55 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 — February's 5.55 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.0Intense
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.0Bright
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Timaru?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
1.7
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

February is a reasonable time to visit Timaru for sightseeing.

What to pack for Timaru in February

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

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.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Timaru in February

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in February — 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 February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February 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 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 February

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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