Nov 17

Nov 17 Auckland Weather

There have been a huge number of questions regarding Auckland weather lately. Hopefully this post will answer all of the burning am-I-going-to-be-miserable-in-Auckland questions. Before diving into the weather, it is important to note that New Zealand uses the celsius system - not Fahrenheit. If you see someone referencing a temperature of 22, that means a very different thing under each system. (22°C is 71.6°F). A trick I use to judge exactly how hot/cold the weather report predicts is that 16°C is about 61°F. The numbers are flip-flopped and easy to remember.

How many coats do I need to bring? Does it snow?
It does not snow in Auckland. In fact, I’ve never experienced a freeze here either. July is the coldest month in Auckland, New Zealand, with an average high-temperature of 14.7°C (58.5°F) and an average low-temperature of 7.1°C (44.8°F). Everyone in Auckland has a black puffer jacket and a black puffer vest. They may also have a wool coat that is nicer than a puffer jacket if your lifestyle necessitates it. Also, Auckland housing can be hit or miss when it comes to heating and quality insulation. Things are supposed to be improving, but you may find yourself in a drafty house. The Kiwi response to this? “Put on a jumper.”
Geez it looks like it is constantly raining. Is it?
Yes, it rains frequently in Auckland - about 185 days a year - but if it is going to rain, it will also be sunny in the same day more often than not. Auckland is a sea town and weather systems move through quickly. It is especially rainy in the winter and spring months. A good rain jacket and gum boots are important!
Am I going to melt in the summer?
January and February are the hot months with an average high temperature of 24°C (75.2°F). Or so they say. I’ve clocked much higher temperatures at our house. However, the southern hemisphere sun is intense, and there is a huge difference between being in the shade in 24° heat and being in the sun. You may feel like your skin is melting off of you in the sun on a hot summer day, especially if there is no breeze. The humidity doesn’t help either. Be prepared to use a fan or two if you don’t have a heat pump (they cool too, not just heat, FYI) and read up on my summer heat survival post.
What else affects the weather?
When checking the weather report, it is important to take note of both the wind and the cloud cover. Both make a huge difference on what outer layers (or lack thereof) are needed on any given day. There are some 16° days that are sunny with a light breeze that necessitate a wide-brimmed hat and t-shirt with lots of sun screen, but there are other 16° days that are cloudy with a strong breeze that necessitate a sweater and jacket with wind wall.
What’s an average day like?
Most of the time the weather in Auckland is incredible. It is typically mild with some breeze off of the ocean to cool things off slightly and keep the humidity moving. We have our doors and windows open 85% of the time and only close them in the coldest and hottest times of the year when we run the heat pumps. I’ve grown to love the fresh air circulating and now prefer that to our fancy central air system in the US.

So if you’re moving from Seattle, it is much less grey and you’ll see more sunshine than you’re used to. If you’re moving from upstate New York, I’d recommend culling the winter coat collection. But no matter what the weather is now, it is going to be different within a few hours. Learn how to layer and have a collection of different weighted jackets, and you will slowly figure our how to deal with Auckland’s weather.