Timaru climate — normals and trends
Timaru (New Zealand) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.4 °C and it receives 755 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 (14.9 °C on average) and the coldest is July (5.3 °C). Rainfall peaks in December.
Timaru averages 5 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 131 rainy days per year.
Timaru has warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.16 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 9 to 1 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 29.1 °C (on 7 February 1973) and the coldest -5.0 °C (on 8 August 1952).
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
TimaruCanterbury
- coords
- -44.40°, 171.25°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.4°C
Average daily high
13.3°C
Average daily low
7.8°C
Annual rainfall
755mm
Sunshine / day
9.4h
Mean relative humidity
80%
Average peak wind
20.6km/h
Seasonal range
9.6°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
5 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
131 d/yr
Annual snowfall
3.8 cm
Average feels-like high
11.5 °C
Average feels-like low
5.0 °C
Average peak gust
32.8 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.6 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
29.1 °C
7 February 1973
Coldest day
-5.0 °C
8 August 1952
Wettest day
67 mm
13 March 1986
Windiest day
59.6 km/h
11 April 1968
Strongest gust
112.0 km/h
11 April 1968
Hottest feels-like
32.0 °C
7 February 1973
Coldest feels-like
-9.3 °C
8 August 1952
Snowiest day
14.2 cm
6 August 1973
Sunniest day
15.0 h
20 December 2021
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 | 16.3 °C | -1.3 °C | 89 mm | +13 mm |
| Feb | 18.9 °C | +1.3 °C | 44 mm | -26 mm |
| Mar | 17.6 °C | +1.0 °C | 90 mm | +21 mm |
| Apr | 15.4 °C | +1.1 °C | 124 mm | +63 mm |
| May | 13.3 °C | +1.7 °C | 78 mm | +22 mm |
| Jun | 9.8 °C | +0.8 °C | 111 mm | +63 mm |
| Jul | 9.7 °C | +1.3 °C | 41 mm | -13 mm |
| Aug | 10.4 °C | +1.0 °C | 25 mm | -27 mm |
| Sep | 13.2 °C | +1.8 °C | 40 mm | -6 mm |
| Oct | 14.5 °C | +1.4 °C | 115 mm | +49 mm |
| Nov | 17.5 °C | +2.8 °C | 24 mm | -49 mm |
| Dec | 16.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 86 mm | +3 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 Timaru?
Timaru has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.4 °C and it receives 755 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Timaru?
The hottest day measured in Timaru between 1940 and 2025 was 7 February 1973, reaching 29.1 °C.
What is the coldest day in Timaru?
The coldest day measured in Timaru between 1940 and 2025 was 8 August 1952, at -5.0 °C.
Does it snow in Timaru?
Yes. Timaru gets on average 3.8 cm of snow per year and has around 5 frost days.
Has the climate of Timaru warmed?
Yes: Timaru warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Timaru?
The wettest day measured in Timaru between 1940 and 2025 was 13 March 1986, with 67 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Timaru?
The windiest day measured in Timaru between 1940 and 2025 was 11 April 1968, with winds reaching 59.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Timaru?
The warmest month in Timaru is January (14.9 °C on average); the coldest is July (5.3 °C).
How much does it rain in Timaru?
Timaru receives on average 755 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 131 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Timaru?
Timaru gets on average 9.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,431 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Timaru?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Timaru between 1940 and 2025 was 6 August 1973, with 14.2 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Timaru?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Timaru.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Timaru?
In Timaru, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 32.0 °C on 7 February 1973, and the lowest was -9.3 °C on 8 August 1952.
Compare Timaru with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Timaru