The 3rd-warmest June on record, and very gloomy.

Record April rainfall for Hawkes Bay, and cool conditions in eastern areas of both islands.

A tale of two islands

Warm with a sting in the tail

Spectacularly sunny and very dry in most areas

Cloudy, warm, and extremely wet

Very wet overall, except West Coast and Southland

North Island continues dry, sopping wet in southwest.

Hot and dry for most of the country

Very sunny in the north

Coldest October in over half a century

An early start to spring!

Cold and frosty with plentiful sunshine.

April 2009: A month of contrasts. Wet in the north and west, dry in the south and east.

February 2009: Hot at the beginning of the month then a cool change; wet for most of country except in the southwest; below normal sunshine for most areas

Temperature: Above average over most of the North Island; below average for much of Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
Rainfall: Above normal over the North Island and east of the South Island; below normal for Fiordland and parts of Southland.
Sunshine: Well below normal for eastern Northland and Auckland, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago; normal or below normal elsewhere.

Temperatures flip-flopped from above average over the first 12 days

December 2008: Sunny for most areas, warm through the middle of the country, dry in the east but wet in some areas exposed to the northeast

Rainfall: Well below normal in East Cape, Gisborne, southern Hawke’s Bay, north Canterbury and eastern Southland; above normal in southern Northland, Nelson, Marlborough, Banks Peninsula and inland Canterbury and Otago.
Temperature: Above average from Bay of Plenty to Wellington, northern Tasman district, and around Westport and Cheviot; below average for the far north of the North Island and in inland Canterbury.
Sunshine: Above average for most of

October 2008: Sunny in the South Island, dry in east and north

Temperature: Near average for most of the country, but below average in western South Island.
Rainfall: Below normal in Northland, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wellington and most of the South Island especially south Canterbury and Otago; above normal in Waikato, King Country and Manawatu.
Sunshine: Very sunny in the South Island, especially in inland and southern parts, and near average for other areas.

Sunshine totals were well above average for most of the South Island, with Dunedin and Balclutha recording their highes

August 2008: Another very wet and stormy month (July 2008 was also very wet in many places) for most of the country

Temperature: Near average (plus or minus 0.5°C) for the North Island; below average for the South Island, particularly inland Canterbury and coastal North Otago (1 to 2°C below average).
Rainfall: Well above normal rainfall (more than 150% of normal) in Marlborough (especially Kaikoura), Canterbury, Tasman, eastern Southland and the majority of the North Island; below normal rainfall (less than 80% or normal) in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, parts of the Southern Alps, Central

June 2008: Warm in most places especially south of South Island; Wet in Waikato and North Canterbury and dry in Marlborough and Otago

Temperature: Warm overall; inland South Canterbury and Otago more than 1.5 °C above average;
Rainfall: Below normal rainfall (around 50% of normal) in north of South Island and Otago; above normal (around 150% or more of normal) in North Canterbury, inland Manawatu, the Central Plateau and Waikato;
Sunshine: Above normal hours of bright sunshine recorded for most of country.

June, in contrast to May, was much warmer than average in places especially inlan

April 2008 Extremes: deluges in the north, but dry in the south

Rainfall: Record high rainfall in Bay of Plenty/Taupo, double average in parts of Northland, Wellington, Nelson and Marlborough, below average over the southern half of South Island
Soil moisture: Significant deficits remain in inland Otago and eastern Canterbury
Temperature: Above average in the west of the North Island, below average in inland Canterbury and Otago
Sunshine: Above average in the west and south of the South Island, below average in Auckland and Waikato

April was a month of extremes with floods in northern New Ze

February 2008: A Northland flood, but generally a very dry North Island

Rainfall: Very wet in Northland, and north and central Canterbury; dry over the remainder of the North Island
Soil moisture:  Significant deficits in many North Island areas, Marlborough, and the southeast of the South Island
Temperature: Above average in western areas, especially South Island southwest
Sunshine: Extremely high in the south, and also the southwest of the North Island.

February was a month of contrasts.
Rainfall was 50% (half) or less of normal over much of the North Island from Manukau southwards, a

Warm in many regions; severe soil moisture deficits persist in the east and inland areas of the South Island

Rainfall: Below normal rainfall in Bay of Plenty, south west of North Island and inland areas of the South Island, very wet start to December in Northland
Temperature: Above average in the north and west
Sunshine: Well above average in the south, well below average in the north

December 2007 was characterised by near or below normal rainfall in many regions of New Zealand.

Stormy and generally cold with frequent spring gales

Wind: Much more wind than normal, with frequent gales from the westerly sector
Temperature: Well below average in the South Island and parts of the North Island, above average in Hawke’s Bay and parts of the north
Rainfall: Above normal in many regions, especially in the South Island.
Sunshine: Near or above normal in most regions

October 2007 was rather stormy and generally cold with deep depressions tracking south of New Zealand and frequent westerly gales.

Rainfall: Below normal in the north and east of the South Island, near or above normal in regions exposed to the west
Temperature: Above average in the North Island, near average elsewhere
Sunshine: Well above average in Wellington, Nelson, and inland South Canterbury
Wind: More southwesterlies than normal; northwest gales during the second week

August 2007 was a month which was windy at times with frequent disturbed southwesterlies, especially to the east, resulting in low rainfall in sheltered northern and eastern South Island regions, and normal or above normal rainfall in several other r

Cold and wintry in the south, warmer in the north, sunny

Temperature: Below average over much of the South Island, warmer in the north of the North Island
Rainfall: Below normal in the northeast of the South Island, above normal in the south of the South Island
Sunshine: Above average in many regions
Wind: Rather windy at times over the south with strong westerlies and south westerlies

June 2007 was a wintry month in the South Island, especially in the south, with frequent bitterly cold southwesterlies, producing snowfall to low levels in Southland and Otago (as well as South Island high cou

Rainfall: Below normal in most regions
Soil moisture: Significant deficits persist in Hawke’s Bay, central Marlborough and Central Otago
Temperature: Below normal over much of the North Island
Sunshine: Above average in many areas

April was a relatively dry month overall, especially over the North Island and the north and west of the South Island. It was an autumn like month, with anticyclones to the west and winds from the southerly sector producing cooler than normal conditions for many and plentiful sunshine with the dryness.

Rainfall: Well below normal in most regions, flood producing rainfall in Northland
Soil moisture: Severe deficits in eastern regions from Gisborne to Otago, as well as Auckland, Waikato, Eastern Bay of Plenty, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, and Nelson
Temperature: Above average in western and inland South Island regions, below average in many northern and eastern regions
Sunshine: Extremely sunny in the west of the South Island

February was very dry with 50 percent (half) or less of normal rainfall in many regions of New Zealand.

Rainfall: Well below normal in the north of both islands; above normal in the east, especially Canterbury
Wind: More frequent cold southerlies
Temperature: One of the coldest Decembers in the last sixty years
Sunshine: Sunnier than normal in the north of both islands

December was unusually cool for the time of year, due to more frequent southerly winds. Temperatures were 2 to 3 °C below normal (making it coldest start to December for many years) throughout New Zealand during the first half of the month, with little change during the last two weeks.

Rainfall: Well above normal in Auckland, Wairarapa, Manawatu, and near Christchurch; below normal in Central and East Otago
Significant soil moisture deficits continue in North and Central Otago; deficits developing in other eastern regions
Wind: Much windier than average over the South Island and southern North Island
Temperature: Average or below average in all regions
Sunshine: Very sunny inland South Canterbury, East Otago, and Southland

October was another month of climate extremes. It was windier than usual over most of the South Island and southern half of the North Island.

Rainfall: in the south of the North Island, as well as Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Wanganui, and around Christchurch – landslips in several areas; dry over much of the South Island
Temperature: Near average in many regions; warmer in Hawke’s Bay, cooler in Otago
Sunshine: Extremely sunny in Otago and Southland

August rainfall was well above normal in southern parts of the North Island, including Wanganui, Kapiti, Wellington, Wairarapa, and also in Christchurch, with frequent landslips during the month.

Severe winter snowstorms hit Canterbury and the central North Island
Temperature: Coldest June since 1972
Sunshine: Well above average in western and southern regions; record June totals in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki and coastal Otago
Precipitation: Above average in many eastern regions, especially South Canterbury; below average in Bay of Plenty

Two severe winter snowstorms accompanied by bitterly cold conditions, and later heavy frost contributed to a particularly cold June. The national average temperature of 7.3 °C was 1.2 °C below the 1971-2000 normal.

Rainfall: Above average over much of New Zealand; Severe flooding in Otago and Coromandel
Soil moisture: Significant deficits eliminated in many areas
Temperature: Warm, highest nationally since 1981, and 8th highest in reliable records
Sunshine: Very sunny in Gisborne, rather cloudy in North Westland

Flood-producing rainfall events occurred in north and east Otago over 25/26 April, and in the Hauraki-Coromandel region over 27/28 April. As a result the month’s rainfall was very high in these regions.

Rainfall: High rainfall in eastern Bay of Plenty; extremely low in parts of Northland and Auckland
Soil moisture: Widespread deficits in the north of the North Island, and east of the South Island
Temperature: Near average in most regions; below average in Westland
Sunshine: Extremely sunny in the far north, normal or above normal elsewhere

A contrast of rainfall occurred in the North Island in February, with relatively high totals in eastern Bay of Plenty, and extremely low totals in parts of Northland and Auckland.

Rainfall: Wet in the north and west of the North Island, especially Northland, western Bay of Plenty, and Wanganui; below normal in Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough
Soil moisture: Significant deficits in eastern regions from Hawke’s Bay to Otago, as well as Kapiti, Wellington and Nelson
Temperatures: Well above average in most places, third warmest December on record
Sunshine: Normal or below normal throughout New Zealand

Contrasts in rainfall occurred in December, with extremely high totals in northern parts of Northland, western Bay of Plenty, and Wanganui (highest in 115 years of

Rainfall: Above average in the North Island, below average over much of the South Island
Soil moisture: Significant deficits developing in Marlborough, south Canterbury and much of Otago
Temperature: Above average in the northern half of the North Island, below average in eastern regions
Sunshine: Very sunny in Buller and Westland
Flooding: Significant in the Gisborne region

Contrasting rainfall patterns between the North and South Islands were a highlight in October.

Temperature: One of the warmest Augusts on record; record breaking temperature extremes
Rainfall: Below average in many regions - especially in the east from Hawke’s Bay to Otago; above average in the far southwest of the South Island
Sunshine: Extremely sunny in the North Island, above average over much of the South Island
August was much drier, warmer, and much sunnier than normal over most of New Zealand. Many northern and eastern regions of the country recorded less than 50 percent (half) of their normal rainfall.

Rainfall: Extremely dry in the east of the South Island, above normal in Hawke’s Bay and Southland
Sunshine: Well above average in the northern North Island, and the south and west of the South Island
Temperature: Below average in the south and east of the South Island, near normal in much of the North Island
June for many was drier and sunnier than normal. Rainfall was well below normal in Marlborough, Canterbury, and parts of Otago, where many locations recorded totals ranging from 5 to 15 mm, some sites experiencing their driest June since the mid 1980s.

Rainfall: Below average over much of New Zealand, especially Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Nelson and central Marlborough, with significant soil moisture deficits still present
Sunshine: Above average in most regions, with records in Northland, Auckland, Nelson and Dunedin
Temperature: Cooler in the lower North lsland and much of the South Island
April 2005 was exceptionally dry and very sunny month overall, with less than 25 percent of normal rainfall and near or record low rainfall totals in parts of Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Nelson and central Marl

Temperature: Extreme warmth – extended heat-wave – 8th warmest February on record
Soil moisture: Severe or significant deficits throughout much of the North Island, and the north and east of the South Island
Rainfall: Below average in many eastern areas – above average in north Westland and the east of the South Island, from south Canterbury to Southland
Sunshine: Above average in the west of the South Island and southern half of the North Island
February 2005 was one of the warmest on record.

Temperature: Coldest December since 1945, many new records set
Rainfall: Well above average in the east from Hawke’s Bay to Southland; below average rainfall in Westland and Fiordland
Sunshine: Rather cloudy in many areas
December was the fifth coldest on record overall since reliable temperature measurements were established in 1853, and the coldest since 1945. The national average of 13.4°C was 2.2°C below normal, lower only in 1902 (12.9° C), 1911 (13.0 °C), 1914 (13.2°C), and 1945 (13.3°C).

Rainfall: Well below average in South Westland, Fiordland and the Kaikoura Coast; well above average rainfall in parts of Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa
Temperatures: Near or above average temperatures in the North Island, near or below average temperatures in much of the South Island
Sunshine: Near or records highs in coastal Otago and Southland, near or record lows in the southwest of the North Island
Rainfall was well below average in south Westland, Fiordland, along the Kaikoura Coast, in Banks Peninsula, and parts of inland South Canterbury.

Temperatures: Coldest August overall in more than ten years.

Temperatures: Very warm, especially in the east from Wairarapa to Central Otago
Rainfall: Extremely dry in North Canterbury, but above average in many western regions
Sunshine: Sunny over much of the in the North Island, but cloudier than usual in Westland as well as Motueka and Queenstown
June 2004 was the 5^th warmest on record, temperatures being well above average, especially in the east from Wairarapa to Central Otago, by 1.5–2.5°C. More northwesterlies produced the milder temperatures.

Rainfall: Dry in many northern and central North Island areas, and western and inland areas of the South Island. Wetter in Bay of Plenty, Nelson, and Southland
Temperatures: Cold in many parts of the North Island, and parts of the South Island
Soil moisture: Significant deficits persist in North and Central Otago
Sunny in the northeast of the North Island, southern parts of the South Island
April climate continued the generally cold dry theme of March. Rainfall was well below average over much of the northern half of the North Island until almost the end of the month.

Rainfall: Extremely wet, with devastating floods, in the centre, south and west of the North Island
Wind: Much windier than usual, especially over the North Island
Temperatures: Below average overall, especially in the South Island
Soil moisture: Significant deficits persist in central Marlborough, Canterbury, and Otago, but surpluses in some North Island areas
Sunshine: Extremely low in the south and west of the North Island
A total of 30 monthly historical rainfall records were swept aside in a number of New Zealand regions during the exceptionally wet February that produced widespread fl

Rainfall: Exceptionally dry in the east of the South Island, especially Canterbury with record low rainfall; above average in central North Island regions
Soil moisture: Significant deficits in Otago, Canterbury, and central Marlborough
Sunshine: Very sunny in the east of the South Island, much cloudier in the north and west of the North Island
Temperatures: Average or above average in most regions except in Westland and Fiordland.
December was extremely dry with very little rainfall and very sunny in the east of the South Island, especially in Canterbury where many sites recorded only 1 mm

Saturday, 1 November 2003
Rainfall: Near or above average over much of the North Island; below average in Hawke’s Bay, Westland, Fiordland, Canterbury, Otago and Southland
Temperatures: Below average temperatures over much of the North Island, and the eastern South Island (Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago)
Sunshine: above average in most regions, especially Southland
October was a month of mixed weather. It was wet and rather unsettled in many areas during the first two weeks. However, mainly dry settled conditions prevailed for the rest of the month.

Monday, 1 September 2003
Sunshine: Well above average in Southland and Westland
Rainfall: Less than half average in many inland and western regions, especially Manawatu, Horowhenua, and inland south Canterbury; wet in some areas exposed to the east, especially central Hawke’s Bay
Temperatures: Average or above average temperatures in many areas, colder in parts of Central and South Otago
August was more settled, and much drier than average in many inland and western regions, with wetter than usual conditions in some areas exposed to the east, and colder than usual conditions in parts

Tuesday, 1 July 2003
Temperatures: Warmest June on record
Rainfall: Very dry in Canterbury, and significantly below average rainfall in parts of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay; extremely wet in Nelson with above average rainfall in all western regions from Waikato to Fiordland
Sunshine: Sunny in most eastern regions, below average totals in the west of the North Island from Northland to Manawatu
June was the warmest ever recorded in New Zealand since records began over 150 years ago, with mean temperatures 2.0°C above normal.

Thursday, 1 May 2003
Sunny with well below average rainfall in Waikato, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, Wairarapa, Westland, Fiordland, Marlborough, Alpine areas, Otago and Southland
Significant soil moisture deficits persist in Wanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, South Canterbury and Central Otago
Above average rainfall in Bay of Islands, Coromandel, and north and central Canterbury
Warmer in parts of Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and Buller, but colder in Wellington, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland
April was a month of regional contrasts.

Sunday, 2 March 2003
Below average rainfall in Nelson, and many North Island areas
Significant soil moisture deficits affects many regions
High end-of-month rainfall in eastern Northland, Coromandel and parts of Gisborne – floods at Paeroa
Extremely sunny in the east
Below average temperatures persist in most regions
Unseasonably early frosts
Waikato, Taranaki, and Nelson all received less than a quarter (25 percent) of their normal February rainfall last month, while less than half (50 percent) of average rain fell in northwestern parts of Northland, and most central and southwestern

Thursday, 6 January 2003
Below average rainfall persists in eastern Northland and Bay of Plenty, dry in Canterbury and eastern Otago
Significant soil moisture deficits in eastern Marlborough, Canterbury and most of Otago
Above average rainfall in parts of Taranaki and Marlborough, and the southwest of the South Island
Sunny in the east of the South Island and Hawke’s Bay
For much of the country, December was a sunnier, drier than average month in many eastern regions and cloudier and wetter than usual in some western districts.
Rainfall was above average for the first time in six mont

Friday, 1 November 2002
The coldest October since 1982, with below average temperatures almost everywhere
Extremely sunny with below average rainfall in many regions
Wet in the east north of Gisborne and in the far south
October received more than the usual number of cold snaps, keeping temperatures well below normal in many areas. Ground frosts occurred with twice their normal frequency in inland parts of Bay of Plenty and Canterbury.

Sunday 1 September 2002
Average or below average rainfall in many regions
Wet in the southwest of the South Island
Mild overall in most regions
Sunny in the south and east of the North Island and northwest of the South Island
Much drier conditions than normal occurred in the northeast of the South Island in August for the second consecutive month accompanied by unsettled and wetter than normal conditions in the southwest of the South Island.

Monday 1 July 2002
One of the warmest Junes on record despite a period of freezing wintry conditions and record low temperatures in the South Island
Wet in many regions, especially parts of Coromandel and the West Coast
Below average rainfall in Gisborne
Sunny in parts of the east, very cloudy in northern and western regions
Floods and heavy snowfall
In spite of the weather extremes of heavy snowfall and severe frost in the South Island and torrential rain in both islands, the month of June was about as warm as it gets at that time of year on the basis of historical records going back to th

Wednesday, 1 May 2002
Drier in western regions, above average rainfall in parts of Bay of Plenty and the eastern South Island
Warm and sunny in the west of the South Island, average or below average temperatures and sunshine elsewhere
April brought large contrasts between western and eastern areas of New Zealand. Below average rainfall with above normal temperatures and abundant sunshine occurred in the west, particularly on the South Island West Coast. Above average rainfall and below average sunshine featured in the east of the South Island.

Friday, 1 March 2002
Wet in the lower half of the North Island and North Canterbury
Dry in the northern half of the North Island and parts of the South Island West Coast
Warm and sunny on the West Coast of the South Island
Cool and cloudy in the east
A contrasting mixture of weather conditions featured in the North and South Islands during February. Many districts on the lower half of the North Island, Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay received about twice their normal rainfall. Rainfall was also above average in north Canterbury and coastal Southland.

Wednesday 2 January 2002
In the North Island very wet with warm nights
Record low sunshine hours in many regions
Dry in Canterbury
New rainfall records were set in many areas during a warm but unsettled December. Many northern and eastern North Island areas received at least twice their average December rainfall, with some locations establishing new records. Records were set at Kerikeri, Motu, Mahia, Turangi, Whakatu near Hastings, Masterton and Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes district.