Wellington Weather and Climate
Wellington City
Photographer: Kieran Scott
(www.kieranscott.co.nz)
The Wellington region offers a mild, temperate marine climate, with plenty of wind.
The best weather in Wellington is during October to April, when average temperatures are between 17°C and 21°C. Winter in Wellington is quite short and never extreme, with the occasional frosts.
The temperature in Wellington will rarely rise above 25°C (77°F), or drop below 6°C (43°F). Wellington is however known for its southerly winds in winter, which make the temperature feel much colder.
Frosts are commonly experienced in the hill suburbs and the Hutt Valley during winter, while snow is very rare.
Average High Temperature Ranges:
- Summer (Dec – Feb): Daytime 19°C – 21°C
- Autumn (Mar – May): Daytime 14°C – 19°C
- Winter (Jun – Aug): Daytime 6°C – 12°C
- Spring (Sep – Nov): Daytime 14°C– 17°C
On average, Wellington has 2025 hours (or 169 days) of sunshine per year. The average annual rainfall for Wellington is 1249 mm, with June and July being the wettest months.
Windy Wellington
The Wellington region is well known for being windy. The Cook Strait has a wind-funnelling effect, which leads to a high frequency of strong winds around the southern coast, and the rugged landscape results in local variations in wind direction and strength.
Wind records from Cape Palliser and Castlepoint show that Wellington's Wairarapa coast is among the windiest spots in New Zealand.
During extreme weather conditions, winds of up to 200 km/h have been recorded at Kelburn on the 10th April 1968, and a gust of 215 km/h was recorded at Hau Nui on the 19th October 1998.
