Whanganui in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Whanganui sees average daytime highs around 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 263 mm of rain over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 19°C in early March to 14°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Whanganui's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Whanganui's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 17°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 13°C
- Rainfall
- 263 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 21 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.2
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Whanganui in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 19°C in early March to 14°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Whanganui reaches about 17°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
Whanganui weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) 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 | 19° / 15° | 71 | 9.3 | 14.5 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 20° / 16° | 66 | 8.1 | 13.6 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 18° / 15° | 68 | 9.6 | 12.3 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 17° / 13° | 98 | 11 | 11 | 5.2 |
| May | 15° / 11° | 97 | 12.4 | 9.8 | 4.3 |
| Jun | 13° / 10° | 109 | 14.1 | 9.2 | 3.2 |
| Jul | 12° / 9° | 105 | 14.3 | 9.5 | 2.9 |
| Aug | 12° / 9° | 102 | 14.7 | 10.4 | 3.0 |
| Sep | 13° / 10° | 97 | 13.6 | 11.7 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 14° / 11° | 107 | 14.2 | 13.1 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 16° / 12° | 89 | 12.2 | 14.2 | 4.6 |
| Dec | 17° / 14° | 100 | 12.7 | 14.8 | 5.4 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Whanganui gets around 263 mm of rain over 33 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 21 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 hours in early March to 9 h 24 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.3 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Whanganui?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Whanganui for sightseeing.
What to pack for Whanganui in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Whanganui sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 33 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Whanganui in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 17°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 13°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) | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | Cool |
| Feb | 19 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 16 | Cool |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 13 | Bracing |
| Aug | 13 | Bracing |
| Sep | 13 | Bracing |
| Oct | 14 | Bracing |
| Nov | 15 | Bracing |
| Dec | 16 | Cool |
UV index in Whanganui in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whanganui peaks around January 12 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 7 | High |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 10 | Very high |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
Where is Whanganui?
Whanganui sits at 39.9°S, 175.1°E, 18 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Palmerston North, 67 km away.
Topography around Whanganui
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Whanganui.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Whanganui has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 103 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 300 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,746 m.
The land around Whanganui is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (28%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, grassland (42%), water (32%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (44%), trees (29%) and water (25%) 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 Whanganui (-39.9333°, 175.05°, elevation 18 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.