Whanganui climate — normals and trends
Whanganui (New Zealand) has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 13.5 °C and it receives 1,151 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 (17.4 °C on average) and the coldest is July (10.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in June.
Whanganui averages 0 frost days, 0 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 156 rainy days per year.
Whanganui 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 25.9 °C (on 20 February 2018) and the coldest 1.1 °C (on 3 July 1951).
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
WhanganuiManawatu-Wanganui
- coords
- -39.93°, 175.05°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
13.5°C
Average daily high
15.2°C
Average daily low
11.7°C
Annual rainfall
1,151mm
Sunshine / day
9.8h
Mean relative humidity
79%
Average peak wind
29.7km/h
Seasonal range
7.4°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
0 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
156 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
13.0 °C
Average feels-like low
8.2 °C
Average peak gust
44.2 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 = 0.52 · 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
25.9 °C
20 February 2018
Coldest day
1.1 °C
3 July 1951
Wettest day
91 mm
26 April 1966
Windiest day
75.6 km/h
10 April 1968
Strongest gust
123.8 km/h
3 March 2012
Hottest feels-like
28.7 °C
11 February 2018
Coldest feels-like
-4.8 °C
3 July 1951
Snowiest day
0.5 cm
24 June 1951
Sunniest day
14.8 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 | 17.8 °C | -0.9 °C | 66 mm | -11 mm |
| Feb | 20.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 16 mm | -55 mm |
| Mar | 18.7 °C | +0.5 °C | 58 mm | -20 mm |
| Apr | 18.5 °C | +2.2 °C | 95 mm | -0 mm |
| May | 15.6 °C | +1.3 °C | 87 mm | -21 mm |
| Jun | 13.7 °C | +1.3 °C | 131 mm | +14 mm |
| Jul | 13.1 °C | +1.5 °C | 158 mm | +45 mm |
| Aug | 12.0 °C | +0.1 °C | 93 mm | -12 mm |
| Sep | 13.7 °C | +0.8 °C | 95 mm | -0 mm |
| Oct | 15.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 120 mm | +13 mm |
| Nov | 17.7 °C | +2.2 °C | 54 mm | -33 mm |
| Dec | 18.5 °C | +1.2 °C | 119 mm | +20 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 Whanganui?
Whanganui has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 13.5 °C and it receives 1,151 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Whanganui?
The hottest day measured in Whanganui between 1940 and 2025 was 20 February 2018, reaching 25.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Whanganui?
The coldest day measured in Whanganui between 1940 and 2025 was 3 July 1951, at 1.1 °C.
Does it snow in Whanganui?
Almost never: Whanganui sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Whanganui warmed?
Yes: Whanganui warmed by +1.3 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Whanganui?
The wettest day measured in Whanganui between 1940 and 2025 was 26 April 1966, with 91 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Whanganui?
The windiest day measured in Whanganui between 1940 and 2025 was 10 April 1968, with winds reaching 75.6 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Whanganui?
The warmest month in Whanganui is February (17.4 °C on average); the coldest is July (10.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Whanganui?
Whanganui receives on average 1,151 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 156 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Whanganui?
Whanganui 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 Whanganui?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Whanganui between 1940 and 2025 was 24 June 1951, with 0.5 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Whanganui?
Almost never: tropical nights (temperature staying above 20 °C) are virtually non-existent in Whanganui.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Whanganui?
In Whanganui, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 28.7 °C on 11 February 2018, and the lowest was -4.8 °C on 3 July 1951.
Compare Whanganui with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Whanganui