Whanganui in Spring

In spring (September, October and November), Whanganui sees average daytime highs around 14°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 294 mm of rain over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 13°C in early September to 16°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Whanganui's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Whanganui's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
14°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
11°C
Rainfall
294 mm
40 wet days
Avg wind
24 km/h
Travel score
3.9
3rd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Whanganui in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 13°C in early September to 16°C by late November.

A typical spring day in Whanganui reaches about 14°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.

10°15°20°SepOctNov

Whanganui weather by month

How the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan19° / 15°719.314.56.3
Feb20° / 16°668.113.66.5
Mar18° / 15°689.612.36.2
Apr17° / 13°9811115.2
May15° / 11°9712.49.84.3
Jun13° / 10°10914.19.23.2
Jul12° / 10514.39.52.9
Aug12° / 10214.710.43.0
Sep13° / 10°9713.611.73.4
Oct14° / 11°10714.213.13.8
Nov16° / 12°8912.214.24.6
Dec17° / 14°10012.714.85.4

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitation

Whanganui gets around 294 mm of rain over 40 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%SepOctNov

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Spring

Winds average 24 km/h across spring.

0102030SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early September to 14 h 36 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.0 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Whanganui?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.9
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Whanganui.

What to pack for Whanganui in Spring

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

In spring, Whanganui sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear and sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 40 days see rain.

rain gearsun protectiona warm layera windbreaker

Sea temperature near Whanganui in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 14°C across spring — 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.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Whanganui in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 12UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7High
Apr5Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Very high
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

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.

ParaparaumuMastertonNew PlymouthUpper HuttPoriruaLower Hutt

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.

3 km
103 m
16 km
300 m
80 km
1,746 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Spring weather nearby: Palmerston North 67 km · Levin 80 km · Paraparaumu 109 km · Masterton 125 km · New Plymouth 127 km · Upper Hutt 134 km · Porirua 135 km · Lower Hutt 143 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 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.