Climate averages 1991–2020
Palmerston North weather
in December.
A mild, wet month: the 4th warmest and the 11th driest of the year.
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
December is a mild month in Palmerston North: daytime highs average 19.1°C and nights cool to about 11.8°C. By daytime temperature it is the 4th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 98 mm of rain on roughly 14 days, which makes December a wet month (the 11th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 14 h 59 min on an average December day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Lower Hutt (112 km away). In December its highs average 17.9°C, 1.2°C cooler than Palmerston North, with 68 mm of rain.
Among the 11 cities listed in New Zealand, Palmerston North ranks 7th of 11 for the warmest December highs and 8th of 11 for the driest December (rainfall, lowest first). The mean December high of those 11 cities is 19.1°C; Palmerston North is level with that mean.
From December to January, average highs rise by 1.7°C to 20.8°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 98 mm to 70 mm.
The annual picture
December 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
Palmerston North climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20.8°C13.1°C | 13.1°C | 70 | 10.5 | 14.715 h |
| February | 21.4°C13.4°C | 13.4°C | 64 | 8.3 | 13.714 h |
| March | 19.6°C11.9°C | 11.9°C | 62 | 9.4 | 12.412 h |
| April | 16.9°C9.7°C | 9.7°C | 82 | 10.7 | 11.011 h |
| May | 14.4°C7.9°C | 7.9°C | 79 | 11.9 | 9.910 h |
| June | 12.1°C5.9°C | 5.9°C | 90 | 13.2 | 9.39 h |
| July | 11.4°C5.1°C | 5.1°C | 89 | 13.2 | 9.610 h |
| August | 12.1°C5.2°C | 5.2°C | 89 | 13.8 | 10.511 h |
| September | 13.5°C6.5°C | 6.5°C | 94 | 14.2 | 11.812 h |
| October | 15.1°C8.1°C | 8.1°C | 109 | 14.9 | 13.113 h |
| November | 16.7°C9.4°C | 9.4°C | 87 | 13.6 | 14.314 h |
| December, selected | 19.1°C11.8°C | 11.8°C | 98 | 13.5 | 15.015 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
December in nearby cities
- Lower Hutt in DecemberNew Zealand · 112 kmHigh 17.9°C · Low 13.3°C · 68 mm rain
- Wellington in DecemberNew Zealand · 125 kmHigh 16.5°C · Low 13.4°C · 65 mm rain
- Hastings, New Zealand in DecemberNew Zealand · 132 kmHigh 21.4°C · Low 13.3°C · 63 mm rain
- New Plymouth in DecemberNew Zealand · 194 kmHigh 18.4°C · Low 12.9°C · 160 mm rain
- Hamilton, New Zealand in DecemberNew Zealand · 288 kmHigh 20.5°C · Low 12.7°C · 99 mm rain
- Tauranga in DecemberNew Zealand · 301 kmHigh 20.2°C · Low 14.1°C · 112 mm rain
- Manukau City in DecemberNew Zealand · 379 kmHigh 20.3°C · Low 14.6°C · 87 mm rain
- Auckland in DecemberNew Zealand · 397 kmHigh 20.2°C · Low 15.0°C · 92 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 Palmerston North) is explained once on the Palmerston North year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.