Climate averages 1991–2020
Christchurch weather
in March.
A mild, moderately wet month: the 4th warmest and the 3rd driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
March is a mild month in Christchurch: daytime highs average 19.3°C and nights cool to about 10.7°C. By daytime temperature it is the 4th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 45 mm of rain on roughly 7 days, which makes March a moderately wet month (the 3rd driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 12 h 25 min on an average March day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Wellington (305 km away). In March its highs average 17.2°C, 2.1°C cooler than Christchurch, with 59 mm of rain.
Among the 11 cities listed in New Zealand, Christchurch ranks 7th of 11 for the warmest March highs and 1st of 11 for the driest March (rainfall, lowest first). The mean March high of those 11 cities is 19.6°C; Christchurch is 0.3°C cooler than that mean.
From March to April, average highs fall by 3.0°C to 16.3°C, and monthly rainfall rises from 45 mm to 52 mm.
The annual picture
March in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Christchurch climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21.2°C12.4°C | 12.4°C | 50 | 8.3 | 15.015 h |
| February | 21.2°C12.5°C | 12.5°C | 39 | 6.8 | 13.914 h |
| March, selected | 19.3°C10.7°C | 10.7°C | 45 | 6.9 | 12.412 h |
| April | 16.3°C8.2°C | 8.2°C | 52 | 8.8 | 10.911 h |
| May | 13.5°C5.8°C | 5.8°C | 48 | 8.1 | 9.710 h |
| June | 10.5°C3.0°C | 3.0°C | 57 | 8.8 | 9.09 h |
| July | 9.9°C2.1°C | 2.1°C | 52 | 8.5 | 9.39 h |
| August | 11.2°C3.1°C | 3.1°C | 48 | 8.9 | 10.410 h |
| September | 13.4°C4.8°C | 4.8°C | 43 | 8.1 | 11.812 h |
| October | 15.5°C6.6°C | 6.6°C | 48 | 9.6 | 13.313 h |
| November | 17.3°C8.5°C | 8.5°C | 49 | 9.0 | 14.615 h |
| December | 19.6°C11.0°C | 11.0°C | 53 | 9.3 | 15.315 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
March in nearby cities
- Wellington in MarchNew Zealand · 305 kmHigh 17.2°C · Low 14.0°C · 59 mm rain
- Dunedin in MarchNew Zealand · 310 kmHigh 16.1°C · Low 9.6°C · 59 mm rain
- Lower Hutt in MarchNew Zealand · 319 kmHigh 18.5°C · Low 13.6°C · 59 mm rain
- Palmerston North in MarchNew Zealand · 431 kmHigh 19.6°C · Low 11.9°C · 62 mm rain
- New Plymouth in MarchNew Zealand · 511 kmHigh 19.2°C · Low 13.6°C · 109 mm rain
- Hastings, New Zealand in MarchNew Zealand · 557 kmHigh 20.8°C · Low 13.0°C · 56 mm rain
- Hamilton, New Zealand in MarchNew Zealand · 677 kmHigh 21.4°C · Low 12.8°C · 72 mm rain
- Tauranga in MarchNew Zealand · 715 kmHigh 20.7°C · Low 14.7°C · 96 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Christchurch) is explained once on the Christchurch year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.