Dunedin climate — normals and trends
Dunedin (New Zealand) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 9.8 °C and it receives 762 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 January (14.3 °C on average) and the coldest is July (4.6 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Dunedin averages 35 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 140 rainy days per year.
Dunedin has warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.19 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 50 to 20 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.4 °C (on 31 January 2018) and the coldest -8.2 °C (on 23 May 1988).
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
DunedinOtago
- coords
- -45.87°, 170.50°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
9.8°C
Average daily high
14.0°C
Average daily low
5.8°C
Annual rainfall
762mm
Sunshine / day
9.2h
Mean relative humidity
77%
Average peak wind
21.3km/h
Seasonal range
9.7°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
35 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
140 d/yr
Annual snowfall
2.2 cm
Average feels-like high
11.7 °C
Average feels-like low
2.7 °C
Average peak gust
43.6 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
13.2 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.6 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.55 · 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
32.4 °C
31 January 2018
Coldest day
-8.2 °C
23 May 1988
Wettest day
73 mm
26 April 2006
Windiest day
64.2 km/h
19 February 1953
Strongest gust
125.3 km/h
16 March 1980
Hottest feels-like
33.0 °C
3 February 2023
Coldest feels-like
-12.5 °C
3 July 1995
Snowiest day
9.8 cm
18 May 1983
Sunniest day
15.2 h
5 January 1953
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 | 18.1 °C | -0.3 °C | 78 mm | -10 mm |
| Feb | 20.6 °C | +2.1 °C | 58 mm | -10 mm |
| Mar | 18.5 °C | +1.4 °C | 53 mm | -14 mm |
| Apr | 16.8 °C | +2.1 °C | 56 mm | +2 mm |
| May | 14.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 48 mm | -3 mm |
| Jun | 10.5 °C | +1.3 °C | 91 mm | +45 mm |
| Jul | 10.6 °C | +1.7 °C | 24 mm | -20 mm |
| Aug | 11.8 °C | +1.4 °C | 31 mm | -10 mm |
| Sep | 14.7 °C | +2.2 °C | 52 mm | +2 mm |
| Oct | 15.8 °C | +1.5 °C | 116 mm | +41 mm |
| Nov | 20.0 °C | +4.3 °C | 52 mm | -32 mm |
| Dec | 18.1 °C | +1.1 °C | 136 mm | +39 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 Dunedin?
Dunedin has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 9.8 °C and it receives 762 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Dunedin?
The hottest day measured in Dunedin between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 2018, reaching 32.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in Dunedin?
The coldest day measured in Dunedin between 1940 and 2025 was 23 May 1988, at -8.2 °C.
Does it snow in Dunedin?
Yes. Dunedin gets on average 2.2 cm of snow per year and has around 35 frost days.
Has the climate of Dunedin warmed?
Yes: Dunedin warmed by +1.6 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Dunedin?
The wettest day measured in Dunedin between 1940 and 2025 was 26 April 2006, with 73 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Dunedin?
The windiest day measured in Dunedin between 1940 and 2025 was 19 February 1953, with winds reaching 64.2 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Dunedin?
The warmest month in Dunedin is January (14.3 °C on average); the coldest is July (4.6 °C).
How much does it rain in Dunedin?
Dunedin receives on average 762 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 140 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Dunedin?
Dunedin gets on average 9.2 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,358 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Dunedin?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Dunedin between 1940 and 2025 was 18 May 1983, with 9.8 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Dunedin?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Dunedin.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Dunedin?
In Dunedin, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 33.0 °C on 3 February 2023, and the lowest was -12.5 °C on 3 July 1995.
Compare Dunedin with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Dunedin