New Zealand
Best time to visit Queenstown
Based on 12 years of real historical weather data (2015–2026). Sunshine hours, rainfall, and temperature — week by week.
Planning a trip, an event, or a party in Queenstown? Here's what to expect. Summers here run warm, and winters are cooler. For the best odds of good weather, aim for January, February and March. Days run warm, with up to 11.1h of sunshine and some rain. If you can be flexible, steer clear of May and August — that's when conditions are least reliable.
Month-by-month weather
Queenstown in January runs warm, averaging 20.8°C.
Queenstown in February runs warm, averaging 20.6°C.
Queenstown in March runs mild, averaging 18.4°C.
Queenstown in April runs cool, averaging 14.8°C.
Queenstown in May runs cool, averaging 11°C.
Queenstown in June runs cold, averaging 7°C.
Queenstown in July runs cold, averaging 6.4°C.
Queenstown in August runs cold, averaging 7.9°C.
Queenstown in September runs cool, averaging 10.2°C.
Queenstown in October runs cool, averaging 13.3°C.
Queenstown in November runs mild, averaging 17.1°C.
Queenstown in December runs mild, averaging 19°C.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to visit Queenstown?
If you're planning a trip, wedding, or outdoor event in Queenstown, aim for January, February and March — Days run warm, with up to 11.1h of sunshine and some rain. This is based on 12 years of real historical weather data (2015–2026), not a single forecast.
What is the weather like in Queenstown in January?
If you visit Queenstown in January, expect warm days around 20.8°C You'll get around 11.1h of sunshine per day and 3.6mm of rain — some rain.
What is the hottest month in Queenstown?
January is typically the hottest month, running warm — good to know if you're planning something outdoors and want to avoid the peak heat.
What is the driest month in Queenstown?
March is your safest bet if you want to avoid rain, averaging only 3.2mm per day. September is the wettest, at 6.3mm per day — worth planning around if you're hosting anything outdoors.
When should I avoid visiting Queenstown?
If you have flexibility on dates, May and August are worth avoiding — colder temperatures and more rainfall make them the least reliable months for a trip or event.
All weeks ranked by weather score
| Week | Dates | Midday temp | Range | Sun / day | Rain / day | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | Jan 1–7 | 20.0°C | 7.8° → 23.2° | 11.5h | 2.5mm | 83 |
| W2 | Jan 8–14 | 21.2°C | 9.2° → 24.3° | 11.3h | 3.2mm | 83 |
| W7 | Feb 12–18 | 21.0°C | 9.3° → 24.2° | 11.9h | 3.2mm | 83 |
| W9 | Feb 26–Mar 3 | 20.1°C | 7.9° → 23.5° | 10.6h | 2.7mm | 82 |
| W4 | Jan 22–28 | 21.2°C | 9.1° → 25.5° | 10.8h | 3.7mm | 80 |
| W52 | Dec 23–29 | 19.8°C | 7.5° → 23.7° | 12.1h | 3.4mm | 79 |
| W10 | Mar 4–10 | 19.1°C | 7.1° → 22.2° | 9.7h | 3.0mm | 78 |
| W11 | Mar 11–17 | 18.5°C | 7° → 21.6° | 9.6h | 2.6mm | 78 |
| W48 | Nov 25–Dec 1 | 19.0°C | 6.2° → 21.5° | 12.2h | 3.1mm | 78 |
| W8 | Feb 19–25 | 20.0°C | 8.3° → 23.3° | 10.4h | 3.8mm | 77 |
| W6 | Feb 5–11 | 19.8°C | 7.3° → 23.6° | 11.0h | 4.0mm | 76 |
| W5 | Jan 29–Feb 4 | 22.0°C | 10.3° → 25.6° | 11.0h | 4.8mm | 75 |
| W3 | Jan 15–21 | 20.8°C | 9.3° → 23.5° | 10.9h | 4.9mm | 74 |
| W12 | Mar 18–24 | 18.3°C | 7.8° → 21.3° | 8.6h | 2.9mm | 74 |
| W50 | Dec 9–15 | 18.7°C | 7.3° → 22.2° | 12.2h | 3.8mm | 74 |
| W14 | Apr 1–7 | 16.2°C | 6.7° → 19.1° | 8.8h | 2.2mm | 72 |
| W51 | Dec 16–22 | 19.0°C | 7.2° → 22.3° | 11.6h | 4.6mm | 71 |
| W45 | Nov 4–10 | 16.5°C | 4.4° → 19.9° | 10.0h | 3.9mm | 69 |
| W46 | Nov 11–17 | 16.6°C | 4.6° → 20° | 11.2h | 4.1mm | 68 |
| W47 | Nov 18–24 | 16.5°C | 4.7° → 20.3° | 10.9h | 4.1mm | 68 |
| W42 | Oct 14–20 | 14.2°C | 2.5° → 17.7° | 10.5h | 3.2mm | 67 |
| W49 | Dec 2–8 | 18.6°C | 7.3° → 22.2° | 10.8h | 6.1mm | 66 |
| W13 | Mar 25–31 | 17.6°C | 7° → 20.4° | 8.5h | 4.3mm | 65 |
| W44 | Oct 28–Nov 3 | 14.9°C | 2.9° → 19.2° | 10.2h | 4.7mm | 62 |
| W17 | Apr 22–28 | 14.1°C | 4.2° → 16.8° | 7.0h | 3.5mm | 58 |
| W18 | Apr 29–May 5 | 14.0°C | 4.5° → 16.8° | 6.9h | 3.5mm | 58 |
| W16 | Apr 15–21 | 13.7°C | 4.2° → 16.7° | 7.4h | 3.9mm | 56 |
| W40 | Sep 30–Oct 6 | 11.3°C | 0.9° → 14.9° | 8.8h | 3.6mm | 56 |
| W15 | Apr 8–14 | 15.1°C | 5.1° → 18.3° | 7.1h | 5.4mm | 52 |
| W34 | Aug 19–25 | 8.7°C | 0° → 10.9° | 7.1h | 2.5mm | 52 |
| W35 | Aug 26–Sep 1 | 10.1°C | 0.4° → 12.7° | 7.3h | 3.4mm | 51 |
| W43 | Oct 21–27 | 14.3°C | 3° → 18.5° | 8.9h | 8.0mm | 50 |
| W33 | Aug 12–18 | 7.6°C | −1.2° → +10° | 7.1h | 2.9mm | 49 |
| W39 | Sep 23–29 | 11.4°C | 0.1° → 14.1° | 9.0h | 5.5mm | 49 |
| W32 | Aug 5–11 | 6.6°C | −1.3° → +9.4° | 6.7h | 2.5mm | 48 |
| W41 | Oct 7–13 | 11.8°C | 1.3° → 15.1° | 9.1h | 6.3mm | 48 |
| W21 | May 20–26 | 9.3°C | 0.6° → 11.3° | 5.9h | 3.4mm | 47 |
| W30 | Jul 22–28 | 7.1°C | −1.1° → +9.2° | 5.9h | 2.7mm | 46 |
| W22 | May 27–Jun 2 | 8.5°C | 1.2° → 11.7° | 5.7h | 3.4mm | 45 |
| W19 | May 6–12 | 12.6°C | 3.3° → 15.8° | 5.9h | 5.6mm | 44 |
| W20 | May 13–19 | 10.6°C | 2.3° → 13.5° | 6.4h | 4.6mm | 44 |
| W24 | Jun 10–16 | 7.3°C | 0.1° → 9.8° | 4.7h | 2.6mm | 44 |
| W38 | Sep 16–22 | 10.7°C | 0.5° → 14.3° | 8.1h | 6.5mm | 44 |
| W25 | Jun 17–23 | 6.9°C | 0.1° → 9.1° | 5.3h | 3.3mm | 42 |
| W23 | Jun 3–9 | 7.3°C | −1.1° → +10.7° | 6.0h | 4.1mm | 41 |
| W26 | Jun 24–30 | 6.6°C | −1.2° → +8.7° | 4.7h | 3.0mm | 41 |
| W36 | Sep 2–8 | 9.4°C | −0.2° → +12.1° | 8.2h | 6.8mm | 41 |
| W29 | Jul 15–21 | 6.3°C | −2.3° → +8.5° | 4.9h | 3.1mm | 40 |
| W37 | Sep 9–15 | 9.2°C | −0.1° → +11.6° | 7.6h | 6.3mm | 40 |
| W28 | Jul 8–14 | 5.8°C | −1.2° → +7.9° | 5.0h | 4.2mm | 35 |
| W31 | Jul 29–Aug 4 | 6.3°C | −2.3° → +9.2° | 5.3h | 5.5mm | 32 |
| W27 | Jul 1–7 | 6.4°C | −1.1° → +9.3° | 4.9h | 5.2mm | 31 |
Nail down the right dates for Queenstown
Compare individual weeks, see year-by-year variation, and download the data as Excel — everything you need to plan a trip, wedding, or event.
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