South Island Weather Forecast
South Island weather: 59°F, light drizzle. Hourly forecast, 14-day outlook, UV, air quality and the best time to visit.
Summary
South Island is an island in New Zealand. South Island is an island known for Southern Alps, fiords and glaciers.
Right now it is 59°F (15°C) in South Island with light drizzle. It feels like 55°F. Today runs from 51°F to 59°F. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sightseeing conditions score 7.1/10 - good conditions.
The best time to visit South Island is February. The climate is subarctic. June, July and October tend to be the least comfortable months. February is the warmest month with average highs near 66°F, while July is the coldest with lows near 29°F.
The closest major airport is Queenstown Airport (ZQN), about 114 mi away. Nearby highlights include Aoraki / Mount Cook, Lake Wakatipu, Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand and Milford Sound.
In plain terms. Today is slightly warmer than average for October. The forecast high of 59°F is 6.8°F above the 52°F typical for this month. The best window to be outside is roughly 10 AM to 1 PM, when temperature, rain chance and wind line up best. fishing is the strongest bet in South Island today at 9.3/10. Gusts to 50 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 South Island
Derived from the forecast. No official alert feed is wired for this country yet.
Weather in South Island right now
Source: Open-Meteo. Updated 12:02 PM, Oct 27 local time.
See the South Island forecast by time range
Next 24 hours
Hour-by-hour temperature, precipitation chance and wind.
16-day forecast for South Island
Daily highs and lows, precipitation and UV.
| Day | Conditions | High / Low | Precip | Wind | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Oct 26 | 🌧️ Rain | 59° / 51° | 100% · 1,2 in | 29 mph | 3 |
| Tue, Oct 27 | 🌧️ Rain | 54° / 38° | 100% · 0,2 in | 18 mph | 6 |
| Wed, Oct 28 | 🌦️ Drizzle | 49° / 38° | 86% · 0,1 in | 21 mph | 8 |
| Thu, Oct 29 | 🌧️ Showers | 48° / 37° | 100% · 0,4 in | 20 mph | 7 |
| Fri, Oct 30 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 51° / 35° | 16% · 0,0 in | 18 mph | 6 |
| Sat, Oct 31 | 🌥️ Fog | 56° / 34° | 4% | 13 mph | 8 |
| Sun, Nov 1 | 🌥️ Fog | 62° / 40° | 12% | 15 mph | 4 |
| Mon, Nov 2 | 🌥️ Fog | 59° / 45° | 46% | 13 mph | 3 |
| Tue, Nov 3 | 🌦️ Light rain | 58° / 43° | 47% · 0,9 in | 5 mph | 3 |
| Wed, Nov 4 | 🌧️ Heavy drizzle | 55° / 40° | 37% · 0,6 in | 5 mph | 7 |
| Thu, Nov 5 | 🌧️ Showers | 61° / 50° | 29% · 1,2 in | 2 mph | 8 |
| Fri, Nov 6 | 🌦️ Light showers | 60° / 42° | 25% · 0,3 in | 14 mph | 7 |
| Sat, Nov 7 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 54° / 41° | 26% · 0,0 in | 8 mph | 7 |
| Sun, Nov 8 | 🌦️ Light drizzle | 55° / 41° | 27% · 0,0 in | 10 mph | 8 |
| Mon, Nov 9 | ☁️ Overcast | 62° / 45° | 31% | 11 mph | 8 |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 🌥️ Fog | 63° / 44° | 26% | 14 mph | 8 |
Climate in South Island 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 | 65° | 47° | 4,5 in | ★★★★☆ |
| February | 66° | 48° | 2,2 in | ★★★★☆ |
| March | 62° | 45° | 2,8 in | ★★★★☆ |
| April | 56° | 41° | 6,1 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| May | 49° | 35° | 3,8 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| June | 42° | 32° | 5,1 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| July | 40° | 29° | 5,2 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| August | 44° | 30° | 4,6 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| September | 48° | 33° | 6,2 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| October | 52° | 36° | 10,1 in | ★★☆☆☆ |
| November | 60° | 42° | 3,6 in | ★★★☆☆ |
| December | 63° | 46° | 5,0 in | ★★★★☆ |
Climate type: Subarctic. Source: Open-Meteo archive (ERA5).
Weather map for South Island
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 South Island
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 South Island
Go in February. These months score highest on comfortable temperatures, low rainfall and useful daylight.
Hardest months: June, July and October - expect the least comfortable mix of heat, cold or rain.
Explore South Island
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 South Island?
South Island is an island in New Zealand. Its coordinates are -43.9535, 170.5. It lies in Oceania.
What is the weather like in South Island right now?
It is currently 59°F (15°C) with light drizzle. Humidity is 66% and wind is 7 mph.
When is the best time to visit South Island?
February offer the most comfortable conditions in South Island, which has a subarctic climate. June, July and October are usually the hardest months for outdoor plans.
What time zone is South Island in?
South Island observes Pacific/Auckland (UTC+13:00). The local time is 12:02 PM.
What is the nearest airport to South Island?
The closest airports are Queenstown Airport (ZQN), 114 mi away.
What are the top things to do in South Island?
Popular options include Aoraki / Mount Cook, Lake Wakatipu, Te Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand, Milford Sound and Fiordland National Park.
Related articles
Data sources and methodology
| Place data | USPOTUS Atlas dataset (islands) - 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 October 27, 2026 at 12:02 PM local time. Live blocks refresh every 15 minutes; climate averages monthly.
