Lake Wakatipu Weather Forecast
Lake Wakatipu weather: 55°F, overcast. Hourly forecast, 14-day outlook, UV, air quality and the best time to visit.
Summary
Lake Wakatipu is a lake in Otago. Lake Wakatipu is a lake known as a Z-shaped lake at Queenstown.
Right now it is 55°F (13°C) in Lake Wakatipu with overcast. It feels like 50°F. Today runs from 45°F to 56°F. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sightseeing conditions score 6.7/10 - fair - plan around the weather.
The best time to visit Lake Wakatipu is February. The climate is temperate. June, September and October tend to be the least comfortable months. January is the warmest month with average highs near 70°F, while August is the coldest with lows near 35°F.
The closest major airport is Queenstown Airport (ZQN), about 4 mi away. Nearby highlights include Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand, Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park and South Island.
In plain terms. Today is warmer than average for August. The forecast high of 56°F is 8.1°F above the 47°F typical for this month. The best window to be outside is roughly 2 PM to 5 PM, when temperature, rain chance and wind line up best. fishing is the strongest bet in Lake Wakatipu today at 9.3/10. Gusts to 35 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 Lake Wakatipu
Derived from the forecast. No official alert feed is wired for this country yet.
Weather in Lake Wakatipu right now
Wear sunglasses and use SPF 30+ if you are outside for long.
Source: Open-Meteo. Updated 1:58 PM, Aug 25 local time.
Next 24 hours
Hour-by-hour temperature, precipitation chance and wind.
16-day forecast for Lake Wakatipu
Daily highs and lows, precipitation and UV.
| Day | Conditions | High / Low | Precip | Wind | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Aug 25 | 🌧️ Showers | 56° / 45° | 100% · 0,4 in | 8 mph | 4 |
| Wed, Aug 26 | ❄️ Heavy snow | 45° / 39° | 100% · 1,2 in | 3 mph | 1 |
| Thu, Aug 27 | ❄️ Heavy snow | 40° / 38° | 99% · 1,2 in | 5 mph | 1 |
| Fri, Aug 28 | 🌨️ Light snow showers | 47° / 38° | 75% · 0,2 in | 2 mph | 1 |
| Sat, Aug 29 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 46° / 37° | 36% · 0,1 in | 3 mph | 4 |
| Sun, Aug 30 | 🌨️ Light snow showers | 45° / 39° | 71% · 0,5 in | 8 mph | 3 |
| Mon, Aug 31 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 49° / 40° | 24% · 0,0 in | 5 mph | 3 |
| Tue, Sep 1 | 🌦️ Drizzle | 52° / 42° | 57% · 0,2 in | 2 mph | 3 |
| Wed, Sep 2 | 🌧️ Showers | 51° / 36° | 69% · 0,9 in | 12 mph | 4 |
| Thu, Sep 3 | ☁️ Overcast | 49° / 33° | 36% | 3 mph | 4 |
| Fri, Sep 4 | 🌨️ Light snow showers | 47° / 36° | 51% · 1,3 in | 4 mph | 2 |
| Sat, Sep 5 | ❄️ Heavy snow showers | 42° / 35° | 47% · 0,7 in | 3 mph | 1 |
| Sun, Sep 6 | 🌧️ Showers | 51° / 40° | 57% · 0,8 in | 4 mph | 3 |
| Mon, Sep 7 | 🌨️ Light snow showers | 47° / 38° | 57% · 1,1 in | 4 mph | 5 |
| Tue, Sep 8 | 🌨️ Light snow showers | 40° / 33° | 37% · 0,1 in | 4 mph | 3 |
| Wed, Sep 9 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 50° / 34° | 71% · 0,0 in | 5 mph | 4 |
Climate in Lake Wakatipu 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 | 70° | 53° | 5,2 in | ★★★★☆ |
| February | 70° | 52° | 3,0 in | ★★★★☆ |
| March | 65° | 49° | 4,1 in | ★★★★☆ |
| April | 60° | 46° | 5,1 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| May | 53° | 41° | 3,9 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| June | 48° | 38° | 4,8 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| July | 46° | 36° | 3,7 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| August | 47° | 35° | 2,4 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| September | 50° | 37° | 13,5 in | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| October | 55° | 40° | 10,0 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| November | 64° | 45° | 4,1 in | ★★★★☆ |
| December | 68° | 51° | 5,6 in | ★★★★☆ |
Climate type: Temperate. Source: Open-Meteo archive (ERA5).
Weather map for Lake Wakatipu
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 Lake Wakatipu
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 Lake Wakatipu
Go in February. These months score highest on comfortable temperatures, low rainfall and useful daylight.
Hardest months: June, September and October - expect the least comfortable mix of heat, cold or rain.
Explore Lake Wakatipu
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 Lake Wakatipu?
Lake Wakatipu is a lake in Otago. Its coordinates are -45.05, 168.6667. It lies in Oceania.
What is the weather like in Lake Wakatipu right now?
It is currently 55°F (13°C) with overcast. Humidity is 60% and wind is 7 mph.
When is the best time to visit Lake Wakatipu?
February offer the most comfortable conditions in Lake Wakatipu, which has a temperate climate. June, September and October are usually the hardest months for outdoor plans.
What time zone is Lake Wakatipu in?
Lake Wakatipu observes Pacific/Auckland (UTC+12:00). The local time is 1:58 PM.
What is the nearest airport to Lake Wakatipu?
The closest airports are Queenstown Airport (ZQN), 4 mi away.
What are the top things to do in Lake Wakatipu?
Popular options include Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand, Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, South Island and Aoraki / Mount Cook.
Related articles
Data sources and methodology
| Place data | USPOTUS Atlas dataset (lakes) - 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 25, 2026 at 1:58 PM local time. Live blocks refresh every 15 minutes; climate averages monthly.
