Canterbury Weather Forecast
Canterbury weather: 58°F, clear sky. Hourly forecast, 14-day outlook, UV, air quality and the best time to visit.
Summary
Canterbury is a region in New Zealand. Canterbury is a region of New Zealand. It has a population of about 660.000.
Right now it is 58°F (14°C) in Canterbury with clear sky. It feels like 44°F. Today runs from 44°F to 60°F. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sightseeing conditions score 6.2/10 - fair - plan around the weather.
The best time to visit Canterbury is January, February, March, November and December. The climate is temperate. June, July and August tend to be the least comfortable months. December is the warmest month with average highs near 69°F, while August is the coldest with lows near 39°F.
The closest major airport is Queenstown Airport (ZQN), about 218 mi away. Nearby highlights include Aoraki / Mount Cook, South Island, Lake Wakatipu and Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand.
In plain terms. Today is slightly warmer than average for August. The forecast high of 60°F is 7°F above the 53°F typical for this month. The best window to be outside is roughly 12 PM to 3 PM, when temperature, rain chance and wind line up best. fishing is the strongest bet in Canterbury today at 7/10. Gusts to 49 mph will push high-sided vehicles on exposed roads and bridges. Wet roads are likely; braking distances roughly double in heavy rain.
Compiled from this page's own data: atlas facts plus live Open-Meteo readings.
Active alerts for Canterbury
Derived from the forecast. No official alert feed is wired for this country yet.
Weather in Canterbury right now
Source: Open-Meteo. Updated 9:15 AM, Aug 24 local time.
See the Canterbury forecast by time range
Next 24 hours
Hour-by-hour temperature, precipitation chance and wind.
16-day forecast for Canterbury
Daily highs and lows, precipitation and UV.
| Day | Conditions | High / Low | Precip | Wind | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Aug 23 | 🌦️ Drizzle | 60° / 44° | 100% · 0,1 in | 22 mph | 4 |
| Mon, Aug 24 | ☁️ Overcast | 62° / 41° | 0% | 15 mph | 4 |
| Tue, Aug 25 | ☁️ Overcast | 65° / 48° | 2% | 16 mph | 4 |
| Wed, Aug 26 | 🌦️ Light showers | 62° / 46° | 62% · 0,4 in | 9 mph | 3 |
| Thu, Aug 27 | 🌦️ Light rain | 52° / 44° | 76% · 0,6 in | 21 mph | 1 |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 🌧️ Heavy drizzle | 65° / 50° | 45% · 0,1 in | 17 mph | 4 |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 🌧️ Heavy drizzle | 55° / 45° | 10% · 0,0 in | 9 mph | 4 |
| Sun, Aug 30 | ☁️ Overcast | 60° / 45° | 31% | 14 mph | 4 |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 🌤️ Mainly clear | 59° / 42° | 12% | 9 mph | 4 |
| Tue, Sep 1 | ☁️ Overcast | 59° / 44° | 6% | 5 mph | 4 |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 68° / 49° | 24% · 0,0 in | 13 mph | 4 |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 🌤️ Mainly clear | 60° / 50° | 10% | 12 mph | 4 |
| Fri, Sep 4 | ⛅ Partly cloudy | 63° / 47° | 10% | 15 mph | 4 |
| Sat, Sep 5 | ☁️ Overcast | 61° / 44° | 11% | 15 mph | 4 |
| Sun, Sep 6 | 🌦️ Light showers | 70° / 47° | 16% · 0,6 in | 16 mph | 4 |
| Mon, Sep 7 | 🌦️ Light showers | 56° / 41° | 16% · 0,0 in | 9 mph | 4 |
Climate in Canterbury month by month
Average high, average low and total rainfall, based on three years of reanalysis data.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rainfall | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68° | 55° | 3,0 in | ★★★★☆ |
| February | 69° | 55° | 2,2 in | ★★★★☆ |
| March | 66° | 52° | 2,1 in | ★★★★☆ |
| April | 62° | 50° | 2,7 in | ★★★★☆ |
| May | 57° | 43° | 1,8 in | ★★★★☆ |
| June | 54° | 42° | 3,0 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| July | 52° | 40° | 1,8 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| August | 53° | 39° | 1,3 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| September | 59° | 43° | 2,1 in | ★★★★☆ |
| October | 62° | 46° | 2,8 in | ★★★★☆ |
| November | 66° | 51° | 1,8 in | ★★★★☆ |
| December | 69° | 54° | 2,4 in | ★★★★☆ |
Climate type: Temperate. Source: Open-Meteo archive (ERA5).
Weather map for Canterbury
Animated model layers. Pick a layer to load it.
Animated layers by Windy. For pin-level detail and nearby places, see the interactive map below.
Air quality and pollen in Canterbury
Air quality: Open-Meteo (CAMS). US AQI scale.
Sun, twilight and moon
Golden and blue hour are the standard photographic approximation around sunrise and sunset.
Best time to visit Canterbury
Go in January, February, March, November and December. These months score highest on comfortable temperatures, low rainfall and useful daylight.
Hardest months: June, July and August - expect the least comfortable mix of heat, cold or rain.
Weather by mountain in Canterbury
1 mountains and peaks mapped in this atlas
Weather by city in Canterbury
2 cities mapped in this atlas
Explore Canterbury
Every topic we hold for this place, and the same topic for the places around it.
Weather for related places
Frequently asked questions
Where is Canterbury?
Canterbury is a region in New Zealand. Its coordinates are -43.5321, 172.6362. It lies in Oceania.
What is the weather like in Canterbury right now?
It is currently 58°F (14°C) with clear sky. Humidity is 33% and wind is 21 mph.
When is the best time to visit Canterbury?
January, February, March, November and December offer the most comfortable conditions in Canterbury, which has a temperate climate. June, July and August are usually the hardest months for outdoor plans.
What time zone is Canterbury in?
Canterbury observes Pacific/Auckland (UTC+12:00). The local time is 9:15 AM.
How many people live in Canterbury?
Canterbury has a population of approximately 660.000.
What is the nearest airport to Canterbury?
The closest airports are Queenstown Airport (ZQN), 218 mi away.
What are the top things to do in Canterbury?
Popular options include Aoraki / Mount Cook, South Island, Lake Wakatipu, Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand and Milford Sound.
What places are in Canterbury?
Canterbury covers 3 places in this atlas, including Aoraki / Mount Cook, Christchurch and Kaikoura.
Related articles
Data sources and methodology
| Place data | USPOTUS Atlas dataset (nz-regions) - coordinates, hierarchy and facts. |
|---|---|
| Forecast and observations | Open-Meteo (ECMWF and national models). |
| Air quality and pollen | Copernicus CAMS via Open-Meteo. US AQI scale. |
| Climate averages | ERA5 reanalysis via the Open-Meteo archive, aggregated over 3 years. |
| Method | Scores, comparisons and advice on this page are computed from the inputs above. Distances are straight-line. Nothing is estimated where data is missing - the block is simply not shown. |
Last updated August 24, 2026 at 9:15 AM local time. Live blocks refresh every 15 minutes; climate averages monthly.
