City in Canterbury, New Zealand
Christchurch
The largest city on New Zealand's South Island, an hour and a half from Mt Hutt, with occasional winter snow.
Christchurch snow forecast
Out of season.
Forecasts for Christchurch pause outside the snow season. The snow record below shows when it usually snows here.
Where is Christchurch?
- Region
- Canterbury
- Country
- New Zealand
- Elevation
- 11 m
- Population
- 383,200
When does it snow in Christchurch?
In Christchurch, snow falls on about 0 days in September in a typical year, the snowiest month.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | 0 days | <1 days | <1 days | 0 days | 0 days |
Average days each month with at least 1 cm of snowfall, 2016–2025. Calculated from ERA5 reanalysis data.
Snow in Christchurch month by month
Averages for 2016 to 2025, from ERA5 reanalysis data.
| Month | Snow days | Share of the year's snow | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0% | 14 to 22 °C (57 to 72 °F) |
| February | 0 | 0% | 14 to 22 °C (57 to 72 °F) |
| March | 0 | 0% | 12 to 20 °C (54 to 68 °F) |
| April | 0 | 0% | 9 to 17 °C (48 to 63 °F) |
| May | 0 | 0% | 7 to 15 °C (45 to 59 °F) |
| June | 0 | 0% | 5 to 12 °C (41 to 54 °F) |
| July | 0 | 0% | 4 to 11 °C (39 to 52 °F) |
| August | 0 | 0% | 5 to 12 °C (41 to 54 °F) |
| September | <1 | 0% | 6 to 15 °C (43 to 59 °F) |
| October | <1 | 0% | 8 to 17 °C (46 to 63 °F) |
| November | 0 | 0% | 11 to 19 °C (52 to 66 °F) |
| December | 0 | 0% | 13 to 21 °C (55 to 70 °F) |
Which winters were snowiest in Christchurch?
Of the last ten winters in Christchurch, 2022 was the snowiest, about 400% above the ten-year average. The leanest was 2018, about 100% below average.
| Winter | Compared with average | |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 100% of average | |
| 2017 | 100% of average | |
| 2018 | 0% of average | |
| 2019 | 0% of average | |
| 2020 | 0% of average | |
| 2021 | 100% of average | |
| 2022 | 500% of average | |
| 2023 | 200% of average | |
| 2024 | 0% of average | |
| 2025 | 0% of average |
Winters are compared with each other rather than given in centimetres. The ERA5 record is reliable on which winters were big and which were lean, but it underestimates absolute snowfall in the mountains, so the resort's own measured totals are the ones to trust for amounts.
Questions about snow in Christchurch
Does Christchurch have snow in mid-July?
Christchurch had at least 2.5 cm (1 in) of snow on the ground on 12 July in none of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Fresh snow fell during 5 to 18 July in none of those years.
How cold does Christchurch get in winter?
July is the coldest month in Christchurch, with average daily lows of 4 °C (39 °F) and highs of 11 °C (52 °F).
Snow forecasts near Christchurch
Nearest ski resorts to Christchurch
Sources: Christchurch on Wikidata, Elevation from the Open-Meteo terrain model at the city centre coordinates