Kaikoura Weather Forecast
Kaikoura weather: 56°F, overcast. Hourly forecast, 14-day outlook, UV, air quality and the best time to visit.
Summary
Kaikoura is a city in Canterbury. Kaikoura is known for whale watching where mountains meet sea. It has a population of about 2.200.
Right now it is 56°F (13°C) in Kaikoura with overcast. It feels like 51°F. Today runs from 49°F to 68°F. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sightseeing conditions score 6.8/10 - fair - plan around the weather.
The best time to visit Kaikoura is February, March and November. The climate is temperate. April, June and July tend to be the least comfortable months. February is the warmest month with average highs near 69°F, while August is the coldest with lows near 40°F.
The closest major airport is Queenstown Airport (ZQN), about 306 mi away. Nearby highlights include South Island, Aoraki / Mount Cook and Tongariro National Park.
In plain terms. Today is warmer than average for August. The forecast high of 68°F is 13.7°F above the 54°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 Kaikoura today at 9.3/10. Gusts to 36 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 Kaikoura
Derived from the forecast. No official alert feed is wired for this country yet.
Weather in Kaikoura right now
Source: Open-Meteo. Updated 8:06 AM, Aug 26 local time.
See the Kaikoura forecast by time range
Next 24 hours
Hour-by-hour temperature, precipitation chance and wind.
16-day forecast for Kaikoura
Daily highs and lows, precipitation and UV.
| Day | Conditions | High / Low | Precip | Wind | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Aug 26 | 🌧️ Showers | 68° / 49° | 100% · 0,4 in | 16 mph | 1 |
| Thu, Aug 27 | 🌦️ Light showers | 53° / 46° | 100% · 0,3 in | 13 mph | 3 |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 🌧️ Heavy drizzle | 63° / 49° | 75% · 0,2 in | 12 mph | 4 |
| Sat, Aug 29 | ⛅ Partly cloudy | 60° / 44° | 4% | 5 mph | 4 |
| Sun, Aug 30 | ☁️ Overcast | 60° / 46° | 24% | 13 mph | 2 |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 🌦️ Light showers | 63° / 42° | 14% · 0,2 in | 16 mph | 4 |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 58° / 38° | 6% · 0,0 in | 4 mph | 4 |
| Wed, Sep 2 | ☁️ Overcast | 63° / 43° | 31% | 7 mph | 2 |
| Thu, Sep 3 | 🌦️ Drizzle | 62° / 50° | 29% · 0,2 in | 4 mph | 4 |
| Fri, Sep 4 | 🌦️ Drizzle | 65° / 48° | 28% · 0,2 in | 2 mph | 2 |
| Sat, Sep 5 | 🌦️ Drizzle | 65° / 50° | 27% · 0,1 in | 3 mph | 5 |
| Sun, Sep 6 | ☁️ Overcast | 61° / 47° | 22% | 17 mph | 4 |
| Mon, Sep 7 | ☁️ Overcast | 55° / 38° | 22% | 12 mph | 4 |
| Tue, Sep 8 | ☁️ Overcast | 72° / 50° | 10% | 21 mph | 4 |
| Wed, Sep 9 | ☁️ Overcast | 65° / 58° | 14% | 6 mph | 3 |
| Thu, Sep 10 | ☀️ Clear sky | -- / -- | 26% | -- | — |
Climate in Kaikoura 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 | 67° | 56° | 7,4 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| February | 69° | 56° | 4,4 in | ★★★★☆ |
| March | 65° | 53° | 5,1 in | ★★★★☆ |
| April | 63° | 51° | 6,9 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| May | 58° | 46° | 4,1 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| June | 55° | 44° | 5,0 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| July | 54° | 42° | 6,7 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| August | 54° | 40° | 2,2 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| September | 59° | 44° | 3,0 in | ★★★★☆ |
| October | 62° | 47° | 4,5 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| November | 65° | 51° | 3,9 in | ★★★★☆ |
| December | 69° | 55° | 6,5 in | ★★★☆☆ |
Climate type: Temperate. Source: Open-Meteo archive (ERA5).
Weather map for Kaikoura
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 Kaikoura
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 Kaikoura
Go in February, March and November. These months score highest on comfortable temperatures, low rainfall and useful daylight.
Hardest months: April, June and July - expect the least comfortable mix of heat, cold or rain.
Explore Kaikoura
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 Kaikoura?
Kaikoura is a city in Canterbury. Its coordinates are -42.4, 173.68. It lies in Oceania.
What is the weather like in Kaikoura right now?
It is currently 56°F (13°C) with overcast. Humidity is 63% and wind is 7 mph.
When is the best time to visit Kaikoura?
February, March and November offer the most comfortable conditions in Kaikoura, which has a temperate climate. April, June and July are usually the hardest months for outdoor plans.
What time zone is Kaikoura in?
Kaikoura observes Pacific/Auckland (UTC+12:00). The local time is 8:06 AM.
How many people live in Kaikoura?
Kaikoura has a population of approximately 2.200.
What is the nearest airport to Kaikoura?
The closest airports are Queenstown Airport (ZQN), 306 mi away.
What are the top things to do in Kaikoura?
Popular options include South Island, Aoraki / Mount Cook and Tongariro National Park.
Related articles
Data sources and methodology
| Place data | USPOTUS Atlas dataset (cities-supported) - 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 26, 2026 at 8:06 AM local time. Live blocks refresh every 15 minutes; climate averages monthly.
