New Zealand
9 cities
Climate overview
New Zealand spans 34°–47°S as a South Pacific island nation comprising two main islands, North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and South Island (Te Waipounamu), plus Stewart Island/Rakiura and hundreds of smaller islands.
Intensely mountainous and volcanic, the landscape features the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana on the South Island rising to Aoraki/Mount Cook (3,724 m, the highest peak), active volcanic plateau in the central North Island with Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro, and about 2,900 glaciers.
This extraordinary topography produces a wide climate spectrum: subtropical in Northland with warm humid summers, temperate maritime (Cfb) across most regions with mild wet winters and cool summers, and alpine conditions at high elevations in the Southern Alps and on volcanic peaks.
Auckland averages daily highs of 15°C in July and 24°C in January with 1,240 mm rainfall distributed year-round plus occasional subtropical cyclones. Wellington has July highs of 12°C with nights near 7°C and January highs of 20°C with about 1,300 mm and famously strong winds (Windy Wellington). Christchurch has July highs of 11°C with nights near 1°C and January highs of 22°C with 620 mm, one of the driest major cities with distinct seasons. Dunedin has July highs of 10°C with nights near 3°C and January highs of 19°C with about 640–720 mm.
New Zealand experiences significant extreme weather and climate-driven environmental change. Cyclone Gabrielle struck in February 2023, bringing rainfall exceeding 400 mm and causing widespread flooding and landslides across Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti, killing 11 people.
The Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods of 27 January 2023 brought 258 mm of rain in one day, Auckland's wettest day on record, prompting a regional state of emergency and four deaths. Marine heatwaves in the Tasman Sea in recent years have threatened marine ecosystems. Glaciers are retreating rapidly: the Tasman Glacier is 4.5 kilometers shorter than in 1990. These events reflect intensifying climate-driven hazards across hydrometeorological and cryospheric systems.
Our archive covers 9 New Zealand cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Manukau City, with average highs around 14.1°C, while Dunedin has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 11.4°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.4°C.
How the climate has shifted in New Zealand
Average across 9 cities with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 13.3°C→14.7°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 0 days→0 days+0
- Frost days per year
- 5 days→2 days−3
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 1 night→6 nights+5
Warmest year in the record so far: 2022.
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.