Wellington in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Wellington sees average daytime highs around 17°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 176 mm of rain over about 23 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early December to 17°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Wellington's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Wellington has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Wellington's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 17°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 14°C
- Rainfall
- 176 mm
- 23 wet days
- Avg wind
- 26 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.8
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Wellington in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 15°C in early December to 17°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Wellington reaches about 17°C and drops to 14°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Wellington weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17° / 15° | 55 | 7.5 | 14.6 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 18° / 15° | 56 | 6.1 | 13.7 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 17° / 14° | 59 | 7.4 | 12.3 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 15° / 13° | 73 | 9 | 10.9 | 4.8 |
| May | 14° / 12° | 76 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 4.0 |
| Jun | 12° / 10° | 95 | 12.1 | 9.1 | 3.1 |
| Jul | 11° / 9° | 87 | 12.1 | 9.3 | 2.7 |
| Aug | 11° / 9° | 82 | 12.6 | 10.3 | 2.7 |
| Sep | 12° / 10° | 74 | 10.8 | 11.7 | 3.2 |
| Oct | 13° / 11° | 83 | 11.3 | 13.1 | 3.6 |
| Nov | 14° / 12° | 69 | 9.1 | 14.3 | 4.3 |
| Dec | 16° / 14° | 65 | 9.6 | 14.9 | 5.0 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Wellington gets around 176 mm of rain over 23 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 26 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 48 min in early December to 13 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.8 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Wellington?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Wellington for sightseeing.
What to pack for Wellington in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Wellington sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 23 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Wellington in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 16°C across summer — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 12°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 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 15 | Cool |
| May | 14 | Bracing |
| Jun | 13 | Bracing |
| Jul | 12 | Bracing |
| Aug | 12 | Bracing |
| Sep | 12 | Bracing |
| Oct | 13 | Bracing |
| Nov | 14 | Bracing |
| Dec | 15 | Bracing |
UV index in Wellington in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Wellington peaks around January 1 at about 11 (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 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Extreme |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Where is Wellington?
Wellington sits at 41.3°S, 174.8°E, 31 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Karori, 3.0 km away.
Topography around Wellington
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Wellington.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Wellington has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 349 m around an average of 85 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 528 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,512 m.
The land around Wellington is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (29%) and water (22%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and water (60%) and trees (23%) 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 Wellington (-41.2866°, 174.7756°, elevation 31 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.