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Forecast confidence: Medium · models disagree by 3°C

Timaru weather

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Clear,much the same tomorrow

European, the American and the German model put Timaru's high today between 23° and 27°, a 3° split. Tomorrow: mostly clear, around 24°, with a 0% chance of rain.

25°10°
24°10°
23°11°
13°6°
19°3°
15°7°
Todaysplit ±3°Tomorrowmodels agreeMondaysplit ±3°Tuesdaysplit ±3°Wednesdaymodels agreeThursdaysplit ±6°
EuropeanECMWF
14°
Clear
Feels 9° · Wind 30 km/h · Humidity 55%
AmericanNOAA GFS
10°
Clear
Feels 7° · Wind 10 km/h · Humidity 54%
GermanDWD ICON
10°
Clear
Feels 9° · Wind 8 km/h · Humidity 83%

Latest for Timaru: European (ECMWF): 14° Clear · American (NOAA GFS): 10° Clear · German (DWD ICON): 10° Clear.

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Timaru weather in numbers

from 30 years of measured normals

Timaru swings 20°C across the year, from 20°C highs in January to 0°C lows in July, and December is usually the wettest month in a year that brings about 666 mm of precipitation.

Warmest month
January
20°C average high
Coldest month
July
0°C average low
Wettest month
December
666 mm a year
Below freezing
Never
overnight lows stay above 0°C
Comfortable
4 months
January, February, March and April
Residents
29,000
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The weather map: all three models at once

European, American, German side by side around Timaru and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Timaru 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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Timaru 10-day forecast, out to 14 days

where the models agree, and where they split
Today
Clear
25° 10°
±3°
Tomorrow
Mostly clear
24° 10°
models agree
Mon
Cloudy
23° 11°
±3°
Tue
Heavy drizzle
13° 6°
±3°
Wed
Cloudy
19° 3°
models agree
Thu
Light drizzle
15° 7°
±6°
Fri
Partly cloudy
18° 4°
±6°
Sat
Cloudy
18° 6°
±6°
Sun
Cloudy
20° 9°
models agree
Mon
Heavy drizzle
14° 6°
±4°
Tue
Light drizzle
13° 4°
±3°
Wed
Partly cloudy
16° 5°
±2°
Thu
Cloudy
17° 6°
models agree
Fri
Mostly clear
18° 8°
models agree

Timaru, New Zealand. Below we compare what European, American, German forecast for Timaru right now and flag exactly where they disagree, then break down Timaru's weather month by month and which forecast model has been most accurate here.

We grade every model against the weather that actually happened, so you can see which forecast model is most accurate in New Zealand before you trust any single number.

Timaru weather by month

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

Here is Timaru'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 Timaru by season.

Jan
20°
12°
Mild
Feb
20°
11°
Mild
Mar
19°
9°
Mild
Apr
16°
7°
Mild
May
14°
5°
Cool
Jun
10°
2°
Cool
Jul
10°
0°
Cool
Aug
12°
1°
Cool
Sep
14°
4°
Cool
Oct
15°
5°
Mild
Nov
17°
8°
Mild
Dec
19°
10°
Mild
Wettest

What Timaru's weather is like through the year

Timaru runs from warm summers, with January highs near 20°C, to cold winters, when July lows sit around 0°C (a swing of about 20°C across the year). December is usually the wettest month, and Timaru sees roughly 666 mm of precipitation annually.

Best time to visit Timaru

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

How Timaru's weather has changed since 1995

30 years of daily data, 1995-2024, shown as change
+0.6°C

Around Timaru, 2015-2024 averaged 0.6°C warmer than 1995-2004. 7 of the 10 warmest years since 1995 fall in the last ten, and the warmest was 2019.

1995: −0.7°C vs the 30-year average1996: −0.5°C vs the 30-year average1997: −0.6°C vs the 30-year average1998: +0.3°C vs the 30-year average1999: +0.4°C vs the 30-year average2000: −0.2°C vs the 30-year average2001: +0.1°C vs the 30-year average2002: −0.2°C vs the 30-year average2003: −0.3°C vs the 30-year average2004: −0.7°C vs the 30-year average2005: ±0.0°C vs the 30-year average2006: −0.6°C vs the 30-year average2007: −0.3°C vs the 30-year average2008: −0.1°C vs the 30-year average2009: −0.6°C vs the 30-year average2010: −0.1°C vs the 30-year average2011: −0.4°C vs the 30-year average2012: −0.4°C vs the 30-year average2013: +0.4°C vs the 30-year average2014: −0.1°C vs the 30-year average2015: −0.3°C vs the 30-year average2016: +0.4°C vs the 30-year average2017: +0.1°C vs the 30-year average2018: +0.4°C vs the 30-year average2019: +0.7°C vs the 30-year average2020: +0.4°C vs the 30-year average2021: +0.5°C vs the 30-year average2022: +0.4°C vs the 30-year average2023: +0.7°C vs the 30-year average2024: +0.2°C vs the 30-year average
1995each stripe is one year2024
cooler than averagearound averagewarmer than average

Average wind

−4%

2015-2024 against 1995-2004. Within the normal year-to-year swing

1995: +2% vs the 30-year average1996: +0% vs the 30-year average1997: +4% vs the 30-year average1998: +4% vs the 30-year average1999: −2% vs the 30-year average2000: +2% vs the 30-year average2001: −4% vs the 30-year average2002: +9% vs the 30-year average2003: +0% vs the 30-year average2004: +9% vs the 30-year average2005: −9% vs the 30-year average2006: +7% vs the 30-year average2007: −4% vs the 30-year average2008: −2% vs the 30-year average2009: +2% vs the 30-year average2010: +0% vs the 30-year average2011: +2% vs the 30-year average2012: +0% vs the 30-year average2013: −4% vs the 30-year average2014: +2% vs the 30-year average2015: +2% vs the 30-year average2016: −2% vs the 30-year average2017: −4% vs the 30-year average2018: −6% vs the 30-year average2019: +0% vs the 30-year average2020: +0% vs the 30-year average2021: −2% vs the 30-year average2022: −4% vs the 30-year average2023: +0% vs the 30-year average2024: −4% vs the 30-year average

Bars: each year against the area's 30-year average. Dashed lines: the average of the first and the last ten years.

See the numbers year by year
YearTemp vs averageWind vs avg
1995−0.7°C+2%
1996−0.5°C+0%
1997−0.6°C+4%
1998+0.3°C+4%
1999+0.4°C−2%
2000−0.2°C+2%
2001+0.1°C−4%
2002−0.2°C+9%
2003−0.3°C+0%
2004−0.7°C+9%
2005±0.0°C−9%
2006−0.6°C+7%
2007−0.3°C−4%
2008−0.1°C−2%
2009−0.6°C+2%
2010−0.1°C+0%
2011−0.4°C+2%
2012−0.4°C+0%
2013+0.4°C−4%
2014−0.1°C+2%
2015−0.3°C+2%
2016+0.4°C−2%
2017+0.1°C−4%
2018+0.4°C−6%
2019+0.7°C+0%
2020+0.4°C+0%
2021+0.5°C−2%
2022+0.4°C−4%
2023+0.7°C+0%
2024+0.2°C−4%

Source: NASA POWER daily data from the MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1995-2024. Each value describes a grid square of about 50 km around Timaru, not a weather station, and a square that takes in sea or a large lake runs milder than the city itself. That is why this section shows change against the square's own 30-year average rather than counts you could compare with a local station. Rain and snow are left out because their long-term record in this dataset is not consistent over time. "Within the normal year-to-year swing" means the change is smaller than the usual differences between single years.

Which forecast is most accurate in Timaru?

CheckWeather Score, graded against the weather that actually happened
ProviderCheckWeather-scoreTempWindRainRun by
European logo
European ★ Best
86
/100rank #1
86±0.8°C92±4.0 km/h8290% hitECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsReading, United Kingdom
American logo
American
85
/100rank #2
81±1.1°C94±3.1 km/h8290% hitNOAA / NCEP (United States)College Park, Maryland, USA
G
German
82
/100rank #3
81±1.0°C92±4.0 km/h7687% hitDeutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)Offenbach am Main, Germany

The CheckWeather Score blends temperature, wind and rain accuracy, each measured against ERA5 (the recorded weather) over the last 30 days across 244 cities. Lower error means a higher score. See which forecast model is most accurate in New Zealand, how we measure forecast accuracy, or which model each weather app uses.

Bottom line: over the last 30 days the European model has been the most accurate forecast for Timaru, scoring 86/100 on our CheckWeather Score, ahead of the American at 85. See the full NZ accuracy scoreboard for exactly how every model is tested.

What do you think of the forecasts?

your vote counts

The accuracy above is the measured record. This is your opinion: which forecast service do you trust most in New Zealand? Give each 1 to 5 stars.

EuropeanECMWF
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AmericanNOAA GFS
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GermanDWD ICON
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One vote per service. Anonymous: we store no personal data, only a one-way hash of your connection for a day to stop double votes.

Where the models disagree

temperature and rain, judged separately
DayTemperatureRain
Today±3°23° to 27°models agree0% to 0% chance
Tomorrow±1°23° to 24°models agree0% to 0% chance
Mon±3°22° to 24°±86%14% to 100% chance
Tue±3°12° to 15°±40%60% to 100% chance
Wed±2°18° to 20°±22%11% to 33% chance

The models often agree on temperature and still split on rain, and rain is usually what decides whether a plan survives. A wide rain range means the shower is genuinely uncertain, not that the forecast is wrong.

Sunrise and sunset in Timaru

today, local time
Sunrise
06:28
Sunset
20:11
Daylight
13h 43m

Common questions

What's the weather in Timaru today?
Saturday 24 October: European, the American and the German model put Timaru's high today between 23° and 27°, a 3° split. Tomorrow: mostly clear, around 24°, with a 0% chance of rain. The forecast on this page refreshes live.
Will it rain in Timaru today or tomorrow?
Rain looks unlikely in Timaru on Sunday 25 October: no model gives more than 0% (European 0%, American 0%, German 0%). On Saturday 24 October the highest chance of rain from any model is 0%. The hourly strip and the model-by-model rain panel above update live.
Which forecast is most accurate for Timaru?
Over the last 30 days, the European model has been the most accurate for Timaru (CheckWeather Score 86/100), ahead of the American at 85. We grade every model against the recorded weather. See the NZ accuracy scoreboard for the full method.
What is the warmest month in Timaru?
January is typically the warmest month in Timaru, with average highs around 20°C.
How cold does Timaru get?
The coldest month in Timaru is July, when overnight lows average about 0°C.
How much rain does Timaru get?
Timaru sees roughly 666 mm of precipitation a year, with December usually the wettest month.
When is the best time to visit Timaru?
The most comfortable time to visit Timaru is usually January, February, March and April, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 16-26°C range and the heaviest December rain is behind you.
Does it snow in Timaru?
Rarely - Timaru very seldom sees overnight lows drop below freezing, so lasting snow is unusual.
Is Timaru getting warmer?
Yes. In NASA's reanalysis for the area around Timaru, 2015-2024 averaged 0.6°C warmer than 1995-2004.

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