Christchurch climate — normals and trends
Christchurch (New Zealand) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 11.7 °C and it receives 587 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is February (16.2 °C on average) and the coldest is July (6.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Christchurch averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 106 rainy days per year.
Christchurch has warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.15 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 29.7 °C (on 7 February 1973) and the coldest -1.7 °C (on 9 July 1942).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
ChristchurchCanterbury
- coords
- -43.53°, 172.63°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
11.7°C
Average daily high
14.2°C
Average daily low
9.2°C
Annual rainfall
587mm
Sunshine / day
9.6h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
23.6km/h
Seasonal range
9.3°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
106 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.8 cm
Average feels-like high
12.2 °C
Average feels-like low
6.3 °C
Average peak gust
36.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.3 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.48 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
29.7 °C
7 February 1973
Coldest day
-1.7 °C
9 July 1942
Wettest day
63 mm
15 December 2021
Windiest day
71.0 km/h
1 August 1975
Strongest gust
121.3 km/h
11 April 1968
Hottest feels-like
31.1 °C
7 February 1973
Coldest feels-like
-7.5 °C
28 July 1957
Snowiest day
7.5 cm
12 June 2006
Sunniest day
15.0 h
3 January 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.0 °C | -1.7 °C | 52 mm | +6 mm |
| Feb | 19.0 °C | +0.2 °C | 25 mm | -19 mm |
| Mar | 18.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 68 mm | +20 mm |
| Apr | 16.1 °C | +1.0 °C | 135 mm | +86 mm |
| May | 13.9 °C | +1.4 °C | 92 mm | +39 mm |
| Jun | 10.6 °C | +0.5 °C | 88 mm | +36 mm |
| Jul | 10.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 50 mm | -5 mm |
| Aug | 10.4 °C | +0.4 °C | 36 mm | -13 mm |
| Sep | 13.5 °C | +1.7 °C | 28 mm | -11 mm |
| Oct | 15.2 °C | +1.5 °C | 79 mm | +28 mm |
| Nov | 17.9 °C | +2.3 °C | 34 mm | -15 mm |
| Dec | 18.2 °C | +0.9 °C | 57 mm | +4 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Christchurch?
Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 11.7 °C and it receives 587 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Christchurch?
The hottest day measured in Christchurch between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1973, reaching 29.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Christchurch?
The coldest day measured in Christchurch between 1940 and 2025 was 9 July 1942, at -1.7 °C.
Does it snow in Christchurch?
Almost never: Christchurch sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Christchurch warmed?
Yes: Christchurch warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Christchurch?
The wettest day measured in Christchurch between 1940 and 2025 was 15 December 2021, with 63 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Christchurch?
The windiest day measured in Christchurch between 1940 and 2025 was 1 August 1975, with winds reaching 71.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Christchurch?
The warmest month in Christchurch is February (16.2 °C on average); the coldest is July (6.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Christchurch?
Christchurch receives on average 587 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 106 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Christchurch?
Christchurch gets on average 9.6 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,504 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Christchurch?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Christchurch between 1940 and 2025 was 12 June 2006, with 7.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Christchurch?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Christchurch.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Christchurch?
In Christchurch, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 31.1 °C on 7 February 1973, and the lowest was -7.5 °C on 28 July 1957.
Compare Christchurch with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Christchurch