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Current Climate - August 2009

During August 2009 frequent northerly winds affected New Zealand, resulting in warmer than normal temperatures.


Percentage of normal rainfall, August 09.

End of month water balance in the pasture root zone for an average soil type, where the available water capacity is 150 mm.
 
Departure from average air temperature for August 2009.

Rainfall

Well above normal rainfall for August (more than 150 percent of normal) occurred in Westland and parts of Fiordland and the Waikato. Rainfall was also above normal in Nelson/Marlborough (between 120 and 150 percent of normal). In contrast, well below normal August rainfall (less than 50 percent of normal) were recorded in coastal parts of the Wairarapa, southern Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, coastal Canterbury and parts of Otago.  Below normal August rainfall (between 50 and 80 percent of normal) occurred in Northland and Auckland.  Elsewhere, August rainfall was near normal.

Air temperature

It was an early start to spring, with temperatures rocketing upwards during August to record or near-record levels over much of the country. Temperatures were more than 2 °C above average in Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes district, and parts of Canterbury, Northland, Auckland, and the western Bay of Plenty. Well above average temperatures (between 1.2 °C and 2 °C above average) were recorded elsewhere, except for Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, where temperatures were between 0.5 °C and 1.2 °C above average.  It was the warmest August since records began 155 years ago, with a national average temperature of 10.2 °C (1.7 °C above the long-term August average).

Sunshine

August 2009 was a very sunny month in the lower North Island (Wellington, Kapiti Coast, Manawatu/Horowhenua, the Wairarapa and southern Hawke's Bay), with August sunshine totals greater than 125% of normal.  In contrast, well below normal August sunshine totals (less than 75 percent of normal) were recorded in Fiordland, Westland and Kaitaia.  It was a sunny month for the east of the South Island.

See our August 2009 climate summary.

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