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Rotorua weather

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EuropeanECMWF
19°
Light drizzle
Feels 17° · Wind 17 km/h · Humidity 70%
AmericanNOAA GFS
19°
Overcast
Feels 18° · Wind 11 km/h · Humidity 58%
GermanDWD ICON
18°
Overcast
Feels 17° · Wind 17 km/h · Humidity 71%

Latest for Rotorua: European (ECMWF): 19° Light drizzle · American (NOAA GFS): 19° Overcast · German (DWD ICON): 18° Overcast.

The weather map: all three models at once

European, American, German side by side around Rotorua and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Hourly forecast: next 14 hours

consensus of the three models

Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model

each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side

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10-day forecast, out to 14 days

where the models agree, and where they split

Heading to Rotorua? Rotorua, New Zealand, sits at 38.1°S in a temperate climate zone. Before you lock in outdoor plans, compare how the three global models - European (ECMWF), American (GFS) and German (ICON) - forecast Rotorua right now. Where they agree you can trust it; the days they split are exactly when a single weather app is least reliable. For a city break, the rain hours below tell you which days to plan indoors.

Best time to visit Rotorua

The most comfortable time to visit Rotorua is usually January, February, March and April, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 16-26°C range and the heaviest July rain is behind you.

Rotorua weather by month

what to expect in Rotorua through the year, 1991-2020 averages

Here is Rotorua's typical weather in each month: the average daytime high and overnight low in °C, how each month feels, and the wettest month marked. Use it to plan any trip to Rotorua by season.

Jan
22°
14°
Warm
Feb
22°
14°
Warm
Mar
20°
12°
Mild
Apr
18°
10°
Mild
May
14°
8°
Cool
Jun
13°
6°
Cool
Jul
12°
4°
Cool
Wettest
Aug
12°
4°
Cool
Sep
15°
6°
Mild
Oct
17°
8°
Mild
Nov
19°
9°
Mild
Dec
22°
12°
Warm

Rotorua compared with Sydney

30-year averages: daytime highs month by month, rain and sunlight

Cooler through the year

−6°C

average daytime high: Rotorua 17°C, Sydney 23°C

Rain over a year

+41%

Rotorua 1,613 mm, Sydney 1,148 mm

Sunlight vs a clear sky

68% vs 77%

solar energy reaching the ground as a share of a cloudless day, averaged over the year (not sunshine hours)

RotoruaSydneyaverage daytime high, °C, 1991-2020
January, Sydney: 27°CJanuary, Rotorua: 22°C (−5°C)February, Sydney: 28°CFebruary, Rotorua: 22°C (−6°C)March, Sydney: 26°CMarch, Rotorua: 20°C (−6°C)April, Sydney: 24°CApril, Rotorua: 18°C (−6°C)May, Sydney: 22°CMay, Rotorua: 14°C (−8°C)June, Sydney: 18°CJune, Rotorua: 13°C (−5°C)July, Sydney: 18°CJuly, Rotorua: 12°C (−6°C)August, Sydney: 20°CAugust, Rotorua: 12°C (−8°C)September, Sydney: 22°CSeptember, Rotorua: 15°C (−7°C)October, Sydney: 24°COctober, Rotorua: 17°C (−7°C)November, Sydney: 25°CNovember, Rotorua: 19°C (−6°C)December, Sydney: 27°CDecember, Rotorua: 22°C (−5°C)

On 30-year averages Rotorua runs 6°C cooler than Sydney, with every month between −8°C and −5°C. Over a year it gets 41% more rain than Sydney.

Month by month in numbers
MonthRotoruaSydneyDifferenceSunlight, RotoruaSunlight, Sydney
January22°C27°C−5°C72%75%
February22°C28°C−6°C71%73%
March20°C26°C−6°C71%75%
April18°C24°C−6°C69%77%
May14°C22°C−8°C67%79%
June13°C18°C−5°C65%74%
July12°C18°C−6°C66%80%
August12°C20°C−8°C65%82%
September15°C22°C−7°C65%82%
October17°C24°C−7°C66%77%
November19°C25°C−6°C68%74%
December22°C27°C−5°C66%74%

Daytime highs and lows on this page are 1991-2020 averages. Rotorua: no weather station within 30 km at a similar height, so lows are ERA5 point values for 2023-2024, corrected month by month by NASA POWER's difference between those two years and 1991-2020, and highs are the uncorrected ERA5 values, which tested closer to station normals; rain is the CHELSA 1981-2010 climatology on a 1 km grid. Sydney: station normals from Sydney Observatory Hill (WMO), rain included. Sunlight vs a clear sky is NASA POWER's long-term average of the solar energy reaching the ground as a share of a cloudless day; it compares cloudiness and is not a count of sunshine hours. Sydney stands in for Australia here; other cities have their own climate tables.

Common questions

When is the best time to visit Rotorua?
The most comfortable time to visit Rotorua is usually January, February, March and April, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 16-26°C range and the heaviest July rain is behind you.
Will it rain in Rotorua during my trip?
Rain is where forecasts disagree most. Instead of trusting one app, the comparison above lines up the European, American and German models for Rotorua - check your dates and look for the days they agree; those are the ones you can plan around.
Which forecast is most accurate for Rotorua?
For destinations abroad we compare three open global models (ECMWF, GFS and ICON) and show you where they disagree, so you can judge the confidence yourself.
How much warmer is Rotorua than Sydney?
On 30-year averages (1991-2020) the daytime high in Rotorua is about 6°C cooler than in Sydney (17°C against 23°C), with the monthly gap between -8°C and -5°C.

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