The climate and weather of the Wellington region is characterised by strong variations in space and time, strongly influenced by the presence of Cook Straight and the rugged local topography.
In general, the climate of the region is a reflection of the general disturbed westerly flow with interspersed anticyclones, modified in specific places by the local topography. To the east of the Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges, the Wairarapa area experiences more temperature and rainfall extremes than the western part of the region.
Wind conditions are the strongest around the southwestern tip of the region. The region as a whole is generally sunny and windy compared with other parts of New Zealand.
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Read the full report - The climate and weather of Wellington [PDF 3.1 MB]
Suggested citation
Chappell, P.R. 2014. The climate and weather of Wellington. NIWA Science and Technology Series 65, 44 pp.
NIWA's climatologies
A regional climatology is a summary of the typical weather and climate of a region, based on historical data observations made at climate stations located within the region.
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