MyCruiseForecast

South Island, New Zealand

Nelson cruise weather by month

What to expect when your ship is in Nelson in any month: temperatures, how often it rains, wind, sea temperature and wave heights.

  • Marchbest month, rated 92 of 100

Excellent. Pleasant temperatures, few rainy days and calm seas.

  1. January 82
  2. February 82
  3. March 92
  4. April 84
  5. May 82
  6. June 74
  7. July 71
  8. August 77
  9. September 79
  10. October 78
  11. November 86
  12. December 87
Excellent, 85 and upGood, 70 to 84Fair, 55 to 69Poor, under 55

Best time to cruise to Nelson

The best month for cruise weather in Nelson is March, rated 92 out of 100 (Excellent): pleasant temperatures, few rainy days and calm seas. December scores nearly as well. The weakest month is July (71, Good): some gales.

How the rating works

Each month scores out of 100 from five things: the average high (30 points; 64 to 82°F is full marks), how often it rains (25), how rough the sea gets (15), how warm the water is where swimming matters (10) and storms (20: how often a tropical storm passed within 90 miles since 1980, or how often gales struck in the 20-year record, whichever is worse). A part with no data is left out and the rest scaled up. The weights are a judgment about what makes a stop pleasant, not a measurement. Crowds and fares are not included.

Weather in Nelson by month

Average highs run from 56°F (13°C) in July to 73°F (23°C) in January. Rain falls on the fewest days in March and the most in June. Sea temperature and wave heights are for the water just off the port.

Typical conditions, 2006–2025 climate record (ECMWF). Rain days are days with at least 1 mm of rain or melted snow. These are averages, not a forecast.
MonthRatingHigh / lowRain daysWindSea tempTypical seasSun
January82Good73 / 58°F23 / 14°C1 in 10 days: 68–78°F24%11 mph17 km/h68°F20°C2 ft (0.6 m)Slight; rougher days up to 3 ft11.6 hrs70% humidity
February82Good72 / 57°F22 / 14°C1 in 10 days: 68–77°F25%11 mph17 km/h68°F20°C2 ft (0.7 m)Slight; rougher days up to 5 ft11.1 hrs72% humidity
March92Excellent70 / 53°F21 / 12°C1 in 10 days: 66–74°F15%10 mph16 km/h67°F19°C2 ft (0.6 m)Slight; rougher days up to 4 ft9.8 hrs72% humidity
April84Good66 / 51°F19 / 11°C1 in 10 days: 62–69°F26%10 mph16 km/h64°F18°C2 ft (0.6 m)Slight; rougher days up to 6 ft8.2 hrs75% humidity
May82Good62 / 47°F16 / 8°C1 in 10 days: 57–66°F25%10 mph16 km/h60°F16°C2 ft (0.7 m)Slight; rougher days up to 6 ft7.1 hrs77% humidity
June74Good57 / 43°F14 / 6°C1 in 10 days: 53–61°F33%9 mph14 km/h57°F14°C3 ft (0.8 m)Slight; rougher days up to 7 ft6.1 hrs78% humidity
July71Good56 / 42°F13 / 6°C1 in 10 days: 53–59°F24%9 mph15 km/h54°F12°C2 ft (0.7 m)Slight; rougher days up to 6 ft6.5 hrs77% humidity
August77Good57 / 41°F14 / 5°C1 in 10 days: 53–60°F25%9 mph15 km/h53°F12°C2 ft (0.7 m)Slight; rougher days up to 6 ft7.8 hrs77% humidity
September79Good60 / 45°F16 / 7°C1 in 10 days: 57–64°F32%12 mph19 km/h55°F13°C3 ft (1.0 m)Slight; rougher days up to 6 ft8.9 hrs73% humidity
October78Good63 / 47°F17 / 9°C1 in 10 days: 59–67°F32%12 mph19 km/h58°F14°C3 ft (0.9 m)Slight; rougher days up to 6 ft10.1 hrs71% humidity
November86Excellent67 / 52°F20 / 11°C1 in 10 days: 63–72°F32%12 mph19 km/h62°F17°C3 ft (0.8 m)Slight; rougher days up to 5 ft11.5 hrs70% humidity
December87Excellent72 / 56°F22 / 13°C1 in 10 days: 67–76°F25%12 mph20 km/h65°F18°C3 ft (0.8 m)Slight; rougher days up to 5 ft11.5 hrs72% humidity

These are averages for 2006–2025 (20 years) from ECMWF’s ERA5 climate record, adjusted to local detail with a higher-resolution ECMWF analysis and Météo-France waves, then checked against weather-station records from NOAA (GHCN-Daily). There is no suitable station near this port, so the check was between the two model sources. They differ somewhat, so allow a few degrees either way.

Check the forecast for your sailing

Upcoming cruises in Nelson

1 ship from 1 cruise line is scheduled here, 1 visit in total. The next 1:

Ships that visit Nelson

Azamara

Nearby cruise ports

Wave heights are significant wave height. What the numbers mean for a cruise. Sources and method are on the about page.