With two-thirds of the summer gone, Wānaka has experienced a cooler and wetter season than usual, prompting questions about whether February will bring a more settled finish - and more time at the beach or out on the lake.

There are some encouraging signs, according to MetService, with warmer conditions returning this weekend and a more typical February pattern gradually taking shape.

MetService meteorologist John Law said this weekend is shaping up to look “pretty decent”, with highs of 25-26 degrees expected.

Things typically warm up in Wānaka in February - and around the country - with average daytime highs around 24 degrees, overnight lows near 11 degrees, and total rainfall of about 40mm.

At this stage, temperatures are expected to track close to those averages, with rainfall also likely to sit around normal levels after a damp start to the month, John told the Wānaka App.

“Early next week, on Monday and possibly Tuesday, there is some wetter weather coming through…but after that, it does look a bit drier as we head into the rest of February.”

The unsettled feel of much of December and January has been driven by a run of easterly winds, which is less typical for Wānaka.

“Most of the weather normally comes in from the west which means most of the weather stays on the other side of the Southern Alps from you,” John said. 

“But with the weather being more easterly, it’s pushed that cloud towards you. So it’s been a bit cloudier and a bit cooler.”

In January 69mm of rain was recorded, compared with a monthly average of around 54mm. Nearly a third of that fell on New Year’s Day alone.

In December there was a rainfall total of 63.2mm, also a bit above the average of 57-58mm, and the temperature - at 14.8 degrees on average - was under the December average of 15.6 degrees.

“Because rainfall is quite low in Wānaka anyway - it is one of the driest places in the country - [a small increase on the average] can feel like a big difference,” John said.

Looking more broadly, rainfall over the past 12 months has been close to average, with around 670mm recorded in 2025, compared with a climate average of about 617mm.

While February may not bring wall-to-wall sunshine, John said there is good reason to be cautiously optimistic that conditions will settle closer to what’s typical for Wānaka at this time of year.

PHOTO: Wānaka App