Nelson Climate

Many people believe Nelson has one of the best climates of all major New Zealand centres, with an annual average total of over 2500 hours of sunshine each year, this makes Nelson perfect for exploring the region's three national parks, also making it ideal for growing grapes, olives, berries, hops and apples.

Nelson is surrounded by mountains on three sides with Tasman Bay on the other and the region is the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, Kahurangi National Park, Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa in the Nelson Lakes National Park. It is a centre for both ecotourism and adventure tourism.

Winter time in Nelson we are still  blessed with many clear sunny days great to enjoy the outdoors and explore our region.  Snow is rare in Nelson itself, but very common in the surrounding mountains in July and August.

Summing up what's the best time to travel to Nelson:

• The months January and February have a nice average temperature.
• Most rainfall (rainy season) is seen in June, July and August.
• On average, the warmest month is January.
• On average, the coolest month is August.
• June is the wettest month.

• February is the driest month.

Below are some graphs showing temperatures and rainfall in the Nelson Area:

Average Seasonal Temperatures (Celsius)

	Summer		Autumn		Winter		Spring
	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High	Low	High
NELSON	13	22	8	18	2	13	8	17

Average Rainfall (in millimetres) including Wet Days

	Summer		Autumn		Winter		Spring
	Rainfall	Days	Rainfall	Days	Rainfall	Days	Rainfall	Days
NELSON	68mm	7	80mm	7	87mm	8	82mm	9