New Plymouth climate — normals and trends
New Plymouth (New Zealand) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 14.2 °C and it receives 1,886 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 (18.0 °C on average) and the coldest is July (10.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
New Plymouth averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 167 rainy days per year.
New Plymouth has warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.14 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 23.8 °C (on 1 February 2005) and the coldest 3.4 °C (on 24 July 1959).
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
New PlymouthTaranaki Region
- coords
- -39.07°, 174.08°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
14.2°C
Average daily high
15.4°C
Average daily low
12.8°C
Annual rainfall
1,886mm
Sunshine / day
9.8h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
28.3km/h
Seasonal range
7.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
167 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
13.7 °C
Average feels-like low
9.5 °C
Average peak gust
44.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
1 d/yr
Solar radiation
16.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.2 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.47 · 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
23.8 °C
1 February 2005
Coldest day
3.4 °C
24 July 1959
Wettest day
106 mm
28 February 2004
Windiest day
75.7 km/h
3 March 2012
Strongest gust
132.1 km/h
3 March 2012
Hottest feels-like
28.8 °C
22 January 2024
Coldest feels-like
-4.7 °C
24 July 1959
Snowiest day
0.6 cm
15 August 2011
Sunniest day
14.7 h
28 December 2025
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 | 18.9 °C | +0.2 °C | 50 mm | -61 mm |
| Feb | 20.6 °C | +1.2 °C | 33 mm | -79 mm |
| Mar | 19.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 56 mm | -69 mm |
| Apr | 18.4 °C | +1.8 °C | 213 mm | +61 mm |
| May | 16.1 °C | +1.4 °C | 240 mm | +47 mm |
| Jun | 14.3 °C | +1.2 °C | 287 mm | +94 mm |
| Jul | 13.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 361 mm | +168 mm |
| Aug | 12.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 120 mm | -64 mm |
| Sep | 13.7 °C | +0.8 °C | 208 mm | +48 mm |
| Oct | 15.1 °C | +1.1 °C | 211 mm | +42 mm |
| Nov | 17.4 °C | +2.0 °C | 221 mm | +77 mm |
| Dec | 18.6 °C | +1.4 °C | 168 mm | +17 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 New Plymouth?
New Plymouth has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 14.2 °C and it receives 1,886 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in New Plymouth?
The hottest day measured in New Plymouth between 1940 and 2025 was 1 February 2005, reaching 23.8 °C.
What is the coldest day in New Plymouth?
The coldest day measured in New Plymouth between 1940 and 2025 was 24 July 1959, at 3.4 °C.
Does it snow in New Plymouth?
Almost never: New Plymouth sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of New Plymouth warmed?
Yes: New Plymouth warmed by +1.2 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in New Plymouth?
The wettest day measured in New Plymouth between 1940 and 2025 was 28 February 2004, with 106 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in New Plymouth?
The windiest day measured in New Plymouth between 1940 and 2025 was 3 March 2012, with winds reaching 75.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in New Plymouth?
The warmest month in New Plymouth is February (18.0 °C on average); the coldest is July (10.9 °C).
How much does it rain in New Plymouth?
New Plymouth receives on average 1,886 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 167 rainy days.
Is it sunny in New Plymouth?
New Plymouth gets on average 9.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,577 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in New Plymouth?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in New Plymouth between 1940 and 2025 was 15 August 2011, with 0.6 cm.
Are there tropical nights in New Plymouth?
Yes: New Plymouth has on average 1 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in New Plymouth?
In New Plymouth, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 28.8 °C on 22 January 2024, and the lowest was -4.7 °C on 24 July 1959.
Compare New Plymouth with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around New Plymouth