Monthly

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

March 2009: Extremely dry, very sunny, and cool for much of the country as anticyclones prevail
Rainfall: Record low rainfall in parts of Wairarapa, Marlborough, north Canterbury, north and central Otago.

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

January 2009: Very warm in the east; dry and sunny for most of country except in the south; soil moisture levels generally below normal
Temperature: Well above average along the east coast of the South Island from Kaikoura to Mosgiel; above average for western Bay of Plenty, eastern North Island, inland Canterbury and Otago and much of Southland.
Rainfall: Well below normal in Northland, Auckland, central North Island, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Tasman, Marlborough, north and south Canterbury and central Otago; below normal for much of the rest of the country except Gisborne, Manawatu, nor

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

November 2008: Sunny for most of country, warm and dry in the east
Rainfall: Well below normal in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago, and below normal in many other places, except in Northland, Taranaki, Tasman, West Coast and coastal Southland.
Temperature: Near or above average for most of the country (particularly eastern South Island), but below average in the western South Island.
Sunshine: Very sunny in the North Island from Waikato south, and in all of the South Island except the Tasman district and the West Coast.
Rainfall was less than 50% of normal (

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

September 2008: Mild start to spring
Temperature: Above average for most of the country, especially in South Canterbury, and Central Otago.
Rainfall: Low in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, and all of the east coast of the North Island; high in Wellington, Nelson, and Central Otago.
Sunshine: Above average for much of the North Island (with the exception of Kapiti and Wellington), North Canterbury, and South Otago.
September temperatures were well above average (more than 1.5°C above their normal values) in South Canterbury and Central Otago.

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

July 2008: Very wet and dull for most of country especially Marlborough, Canterbury and eastern Otago; Temperatures generally near or slightly above average
Temperature: Near or slightly above average for most of the country;
Rainfall: Well above normal rainfall (more than 200% of normal) in Marlborough, Canterbury, and eastern Otago; above normal (around 150% or more of normal) in Westland, Tasman, and the majority of the North Island;
Sunshine: Below normal hours of bright sunshine recorded for most of country.
July was slightly warmer than average overall, and only slightly cooler than Ju

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

May 2008: Cold; Record dry and calm in the west and over much of the South Island; Wet in the east of the North Island
Temperature: Cold overall; Very cold in inland areas of both islands especially at night;
Rainfall: Record low rainfall in Kapiti, Nelson and Marlborough and the Tekapo basin; double average in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay;
Sunshine: Very sunny in the west of both islands; below average in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay
May was a cold month, with the national average temperature of 9.6°C being 1.1°C below average.

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

March 2008 another month of summer & drought
Temperature: Above average especially Waikato, King Country, central and south west North Island
Soil moisture: Significant deficits in the west of the North Island from Auckland to Manawatu, Wairarapa and Marlborough until end of the month
Rainfall: Low in Auckland, Waikato, Canterbury and Fiordland
Sunshine: Above average especially from Taranaki to Wellington, Marlborough and southern New Zealand
March was another month of summer and records.
March 2008 was warmer than December 2007, with temperatures well above average everywhere.