Drone Weather in Queenstown, New Zealand
Live flight conditions, updated continuously from the same forecast this app's dashboard uses.
Queenstown sits in a mountain basin on Lake Wakatipu, in the lee of New Zealand's Southern Alps — that combination produces the classic alpine pattern of wide swings between calm, clear mornings and windier, cloudier afternoons as mountain thermals develop. Wind by altitude is genuinely worth checking here for any flight near the surrounding ridgelines.
Nearest official weather station
The nearest airport weather station is Queenstown Arpt (NZQN), 6 km from Queenstown. Its latest report, 20 minutes old, measured wind of 7 km/h. Compare it with the forecast →
Queenstown: best time to fly
These figures summarise three years of hourly weather data for Queenstown (2023–2025). Only daylight hours are counted, and wind is rated against the standard drone profile: Good means wind up to 18 km/h and gusts up to 28 km/h; Not suitable means wind above 25 km/h or gusts above 35 km/h.
- Most flyable months: January, June, and July, when on average 57% of daylight hours had wind and gusts within the Good limits.
- Windiest month: September, with wind or gusts beyond the limits in 58% of daylight hours.
- Time of day: among hours that are light all year round, the wind is usually lightest around 08:00 (5 km/h on average) and strongest around 14:00 (7 km/h), local time.
- Rainiest month: September, when rain falls on the most days.
| Month | Avg. temp. | Daytime wind | Good hours | Not suitable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.8°C | 6.2 km/h | 55% | 27% |
| Feb | 17.2°C | 6.8 km/h | 49% | 34% |
| Mar | 13.9°C | 7.1 km/h | 37% | 43% |
| Apr | 12.2°C | 6.1 km/h | 48% | 36% |
| May | 8.6°C | 5.7 km/h | 43% | 39% |
| Jun | 5.2°C | 4.3 km/h | 63% | 20% |
| Jul | 4.1°C | 4.3 km/h | 53% | 32% |
| Aug | 4.8°C | 4.5 km/h | 53% | 32% |
| Sep | 6.5°C | 6 km/h | 25% | 58% |
| Oct | 8.8°C | 6.6 km/h | 34% | 50% |
| Nov | 13.2°C | 7.5 km/h | 36% | 48% |
| Dec | 15.7°C | 7.8 km/h | 32% | 50% |
Source: ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service) via Open-Meteo, 2023–2025. ERA5 describes the average over a grid cell about 30 km wide, so local effects are smoothed out: cliffs, valleys, coasts and buildings can be windier or calmer than shown. Use these figures to choose a season and time of day, and the live forecast above to decide on the day. See how UAV Meteo rates conditions and our data sources.
Want this checked against your own drone's real limits? Open Queenstown in the full dashboard →
Planning a Flight in Queenstown?
This is a weather-only assessment using this app's default drone profile, not aviation authorization. Always check NOTAMs, temporary flight restrictions and local airspace/drone regulations for this specific location separately before flying, regardless of how good the conditions look here.