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The climate of South Island (New Zealand)
South Island is the lower half of New Zealand. This island has a varied landscape. This makes the climate varied as well. The Southern Alps mountain range lies in the middle of the island. This magnificent mountain range almost splits the island in two. This is a true paradise for hikers and climbers. It has beautiful summits such as Mount Cook, glaciers, lakes, rivers and craggy fjords. The landscape is truly magnificent. In the coastal areas where temperatures are higher many beautiful beaches and areas can be found. Abundant unique plant and animal life can be enjoyed here. The South Island has the least inhabitants of the two islands. It also has the most national parks such as Kahurangi National Park. Of all the species that live in New Zealand 50% can be found in this national park with its pristine primary forests. Because of the high mountain range there is more precipitation in the eastern part than in the western part. South Island’s climate is equal to the climate in the Netherlands. However, because it is situated in the middle of The Pacific weather is much more influenced by the sea. Because of the influence of the wind weather can change dramatically in the course of one day.

More climate information on the South Island
Specific climate information is available for the following places:
Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson and Queenstown
 

Climate information
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate records. They are an average for South Island:
Local deviations may occur

	average  maximum temperature (°C)	average minimum temperature (°C)	average hours of sunshine per day	average days with precipitation per month	average mm precipitation per month	average sea temperature (°C)
January	20	8	7	13		14
February	20	8	7	11		15
March	17	6	5	12		15
April	13	4	4	13		14
May	9	1	3	14		13
June	6	-1	2	11		12
July	6	-2	2	12		10
August	8	-1	4	11		10
September	11	1	5	13		10
October	13	3	6	14		10
November	16	5	7	13		12
December	18	7	7	14		14
= 0-5 mm ● = 6-30 mm ● = 31-60 mm ● = 61-100 mm ● = 101-200 mm ● = over 200 mm = 0-0.2 inches ● = 0.2-1.2 inches ● = 1.2-2.4 inches ● = 2.5-4 inches ● = 4.1-8 inches ● = over 8 inches

More climate information
Climate figures are very useful but don’t present a general impression of the climate and the eventual weather circumstances within a certain period. The figures don’t always reflect the chance of wintry weather, extreme heat or hurricanes. That is why we offer useful extra climate information for each month of the year:

	chance of (very) hot weather	chance of (very) cool weather	chance of long-term precipitation	chance of hurricanes (cyclones)	chance of sunny days	UV-index
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
click here for the explanation of the symbols

Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.