Wanaka weather in November

In November, Wanaka sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 116 mm of precipitation across 13.4 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 14°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in November, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 hours at the start of November to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Wanaka's 5th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Wanaka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
116 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 42 min
6:09 AM – 8:49 PM
Cloud cover
68%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.4
out of 10

Wanaka is ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand.

Density
461/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 13°C in the first days to 14°C by the end.

A typical November day in Wanaka reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs about 3°C warmer than October and about 3°C cooler than December.

-5°10°15°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1124
2134
3134
4134
5134
6134
7134
8134
9134
10134
11134
12134
13134
14134
15134
16134
17135
18135
19135
20145
21145
22145
23145
24145
25145
26146
27146
28156
29156
30156

How November really feels in Wanaka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, November 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

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

Wanaka weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 5th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 11311.20.1155.4
Feb18° / 819.30.113.95.6
Mar15° / 9610.50.112.44.6
Apr12° / 8910.20.510.83.2
May / 10412.72.29.41.4
Jun / -1°8510.64.38.70.0
Jul / -3°799.7590.0
Aug / -1°7810.64.610.10.2
Sep / 11012.83.911.71.3
Oct11° / 118142.713.32.4
Nov13° / 11613.41.214.63.4
Dec16° / 12414.10.315.34.4

Cloud cover in November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13367
23466
33565
43565
53565
63565
73664
83664
93664
103664
113565
123565
133565
143565
153466
163466
173367
183367
193268
203268
213268
223268
233268
243367
253466
263466
273466
283466
293565
303664

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitationSnow

Wanaka gets around 116 mm of rain and snow over 13.4 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 45% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1435
2435
3445
4445
5445
6454
7454
8464
9465
10475
11475
12475
13475
14475
15474
16474
17474
18464
19464
20454
21454
22453
23443
24443
25433
26433
27433
28432
29432
30432

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November 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%151015202530
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

Wind in November

Winds average 8 km/h in November, the windiest month of the year.

Across November, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 hours at the start of November to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 6:26 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 8:28 PM to 9:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.06:268:28
214.16:248:30
314.16:238:31
414.26:228:32
514.26:208:34
614.36:198:35
714.36:188:37
814.46:178:38
914.46:168:39
1014.46:158:41
1114.56:138:42
1214.56:128:43
1314.66:118:45
1414.66:108:46
1514.66:098:47
1614.76:098:49
1714.76:088:50
1814.76:078:51
1914.86:068:53
2014.86:058:54
2114.86:058:55
2214.96:048:56
2314.96:038:58
2414.96:038:59
2515.06:029:00
2615.06:019:01
2715.06:019:03
2815.16:009:04
2915.16:009:05
3015.16:009:06

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 6.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.21 kWh/m² to a high of 6.66 kWh/m² in January across the year — November's 6.19 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Intense
96.0Intense
106.1Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.3Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.3Intense
236.3Intense
246.3Intense
256.3Intense
266.4Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
Planning a trip in November

Is November a good time to visit Wanaka?

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

3.4
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

November is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Wanaka.

What to pack for Wanaka in November

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

In November, Wanaka sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 5°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Wanaka in November

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wanaka peaks around January 15 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb9Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Wanaka?

Wanaka sits at 44.7°S, 169.2°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Queenstown, 53 km away.

TekapoFranz JosefDunedinTimaruInvercargillAshburtonRolleston

Topography around Wanaka

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Wanaka has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 258 m around an average of 325 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,573 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,837 m.

The land around Wanaka is covered by grassland (49%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, grassland (64%) within 16 km, and grassland (68%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
258 m
16 km
1,573 m
80 km
2,837 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
November weather nearby: Queenstown 53 km · Tekapo 131 km · Franz Josef 167 km · Dunedin 168 km · Timaru 170 km · Invercargill 199 km · Ashburton 224 km · Rolleston 286 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 Wanaka (-44.7°, 169.15°, 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).