Wellington climate — normals and trends
Wellington (New Zealand) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 12.9 °C and it receives 884 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 (16.3 °C on average) and the coldest is July (9.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in July.
Wellington averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 124 rainy days per year.
Wellington has warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.13 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 22.7 °C (on 29 January 2018) and the coldest 3.8 °C (on 14 August 2011).
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
WellingtonWellington Region
- coords
- -41.29°, 174.78°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
12.9°C
Average daily high
14.0°C
Average daily low
11.7°C
Annual rainfall
884mm
Sunshine / day
9.9h
Mean relative humidity
80%
Average peak wind
35.7km/h
Seasonal range
6.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
124 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
11.3 °C
Average feels-like low
7.2 °C
Average peak gust
52.3 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
0 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.1 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.41 · 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
22.7 °C
29 January 2018
Coldest day
3.8 °C
14 August 2011
Wettest day
117 mm
30 March 1979
Windiest day
83.5 km/h
10 April 1968
Strongest gust
150.8 km/h
10 April 1968
Hottest feels-like
26.8 °C
29 January 2018
Coldest feels-like
-6.5 °C
20 June 2013
Snowiest day
1.3 cm
15 August 2011
Sunniest day
14.9 h
2 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 | 16.1 °C | -1.0 °C | 50 mm | -2 mm |
| Feb | 18.4 °C | +0.9 °C | 14 mm | -42 mm |
| Mar | 17.2 °C | +0.6 °C | 33 mm | -30 mm |
| Apr | 16.7 °C | +1.7 °C | 130 mm | +58 mm |
| May | 14.6 °C | +1.3 °C | 130 mm | +45 mm |
| Jun | 13.0 °C | +1.3 °C | 133 mm | +41 mm |
| Jul | 12.2 °C | +1.3 °C | 175 mm | +77 mm |
| Aug | 11.3 °C | +0.4 °C | 72 mm | -15 mm |
| Sep | 13.0 °C | +1.2 °C | 62 mm | -7 mm |
| Oct | 14.4 °C | +1.4 °C | 79 mm | 0 mm |
| Nov | 15.9 °C | +1.7 °C | 54 mm | -11 mm |
| Dec | 16.6 °C | +0.9 °C | 105 mm | +37 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 Wellington?
Wellington has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.9 °C and it receives 884 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Wellington?
The hottest day measured in Wellington between 1940 and 2025 was 29 January 2018, reaching 22.7 °C.
What is the coldest day in Wellington?
The coldest day measured in Wellington between 1940 and 2025 was 14 August 2011, at 3.8 °C.
Does it snow in Wellington?
Almost never: Wellington sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Wellington warmed?
Yes: Wellington warmed by +1.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Wellington?
The wettest day measured in Wellington between 1940 and 2025 was 30 March 1979, with 117 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Wellington?
The windiest day measured in Wellington between 1940 and 2025 was 10 April 1968, with winds reaching 83.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Wellington?
The warmest month in Wellington is February (16.3 °C on average); the coldest is July (9.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Wellington?
Wellington receives on average 884 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 124 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Wellington?
Wellington gets on average 9.9 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,614 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Wellington?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Wellington between 1940 and 2025 was 15 August 2011, with 1.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Wellington?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Wellington.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Wellington?
In Wellington, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 26.8 °C on 29 January 2018, and the lowest was -6.5 °C on 20 June 2013.
Compare Wellington with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Wellington