Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Wairoa New Zealand

In Wairoa, the summers are warm, the winters are cold and wet, and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 42°F to 78°F and is rarely below 34°F or above 86°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Wairoa for warm-weather activities is from late December to early March.

The warm season lasts for 3.1 months, from December 7 to March 9, with an average daily high temperature above 73°F. The hottest month of the year in Wairoa is January, with an average high of 78°F and low of 58°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.3 months, from May 28 to September 5, with an average daily high temperature below 60°F. The coldest month of the year in Wairoa is July, with an average low of 42°F and high of 56°F.

In Wairoa, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Wairoa begins around December 28 and lasts for 3.5 months, ending around April 14.

The clearest month of the year in Wairoa is March, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 62% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 14 and lasts for 8.5 months, ending around December 28.

The cloudiest month of the year in Wairoa is July, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 49% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Wairoa varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.7 months, from March 24 to October 14, with a greater than 22% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Wairoa is July, with an average of 8.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.3 months, from October 14 to March 24. The month with the fewest wet days in Wairoa is January, with an average of 5.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Wairoa is July, with an average of 8.1 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 27% on July 12.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Wairoa experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Wairoa. The month with the most rain in Wairoa is July, with an average rainfall of 3.3 inches.

The month with the least rain in Wairoa is November, with an average rainfall of 1.7 inches.

The length of the day in Wairoa varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is June 21, with 9 hours, 25 minutes of daylight; the longest day is December 21, with 14 hours, 55 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:37 AM on December 8, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 53 minutes later at 7:30 AM on June 28. The earliest sunset is at 4:54 PM on June 13, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 46 minutes later at 8:39 PM on January 5.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Wairoa during 2024, starting in the spring on September 29 and ending in the fall on April 7.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Wairoa, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 2% of 2% throughout.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Wairoa experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from May 21 to August 29, with average wind speeds of more than 8.8 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Wairoa is June, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 8.7 months, from August 29 to May 21. The calmest month of the year in Wairoa is April, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.2 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Wairoa varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the north for 1.4 weeks, from February 22 to March 3; for 1.0 weeks, from April 22 to April 29; and for 1.7 months, from December 1 to January 22, with a peak percentage of 30% on April 28. The wind is most often from the south for 1.2 months, from March 3 to April 8 and for 2.0 weeks, from April 8 to April 22, with a peak percentage of 30% on April 18. The wind is most often from the west for 7.1 months, from April 29 to December 1, with a peak percentage of 40% on September 30.

Wairoa is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.0 months, from December 31 to April 1, with an average temperature above 65°F. The month of the year in Wairoa with the warmest water is February, with an average temperature of 67°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.7 months, from June 24 to October 14, with an average temperature below 57°F. The month of the year in Wairoa with the coolest water is August, with an average temperature of 55°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Wairoa throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Wairoa for general outdoor tourist activities is from late December to early March, with a peak score in the last week of January.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Wairoa for hot-weather activities is from early January to early February, with a peak score in the last week of January.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Wairoa typically lasts for 11 months (335 days), from around August 1 to around July 2, rarely starting after September 8, or ending before June 5.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Wairoa should appear around August 20, only rarely appearing before August 8 or after September 3.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 3.4 months, from November 1 to February 14, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.5 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Wairoa is December, with an average of 7.4 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.6 months, from April 29 to August 17, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Wairoa is June, with an average of 1.9 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Wairoa are -39.033 deg latitude, 177.367 deg longitude, and 190 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Wairoa contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 656 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 172 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,296 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (4,619 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Wairoa is covered by cropland (48%), trees (34%), and grassland (14%), within 10 miles by water (47%) and trees (29%), and within 50 miles by water (52%) and trees (33%).