Climate Summary for January 2009
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, northern Taranaki and Southland.
- Sunshine: Above average for most of New Zealand except the south of the South Island.
January temperatures were well above average (between 1.5 and 2.5°C above normal) along the east coast of the South Island from Kaikoura to Mosgiel and above average (between 0.5 and 1.5°C above normal) for western Bay of Plenty, eastern North Island, inland Canterbury and Otago and much of Southland. Temperatures in the west of the country were near normal for January. The national average temperature of 17.6°C was 0.6°C above average for January.
Rainfall was less than 50% of normal (half) for much of the country for January. The exceptions were Gisborne and Southland (received more than 125% of normal rainfall) and Manawatu and northern Taranaki (received near normal rainfall). Soil moisture levels for most North Island areas except Gisborne and northern Manawatu are below normal (by between 20 and 50 mm) as at the end of January. In the South Island, soil moisture in Tasman district, northern Westland, north and south Canterbury and south Otago is also below normal for this time of year by similar amounts.
January sunshine totals were above average (more than 110% of normal) for most of New Zealand, except in Southland and Otago where they were near or below average.
The most significant extreme weather event to impact on the country in January was when heavy rain fell in Queenstown and on the West Coast overnight on 2 January causing levels in the Haast and Callery (near Franz Josef) Rivers to rise quickly. The following day, lightning, thunder, gale force winds and large hail was experienced in many locations in Canterbury, causing the postponement of the international cricket match against the West Indies in Christchurch and briefly closing Christchurch International Airpor.
The warm, dry and sunny weather for January resulted from more ‘highs’ (anticyclones) to the east of the country and more ‘lows’ (depressions) than normal in the southern Tasman Sea (a very similar pattern to December 2008). This resulted in more northerly and northeasterly winds over the country than normal, which contributed to the low rainfalls and warm temperatures over much of New Zealand.
Further Highlights
- The highest temperature during January 2009 was 37.2°C recorded at Waione in the Wairarapa on the 8th (the highest January maximum temperature for this location). The lowest temperature during January was recorded at Hanmer Forest on the 11th, where the minimum temperature was 0.3°C.
- The highest 1-day rainfall total for January was 204 mm recorded at Milford Sound on the 6th.
- The wind gust of 130 km/hr recorded at Southwest Cape on the 21st was the highest gust for January for New Zealand.
- Of the six main centres, Tauranga was the warmest and sunniest, Dunedin was the wettest, and Christchurch was the driest.
Full report
- Full details of the January 2009 Climate Summary
Climate statistics tables
Climate statistics January 2009
For further information, please contact:
Dr Andrew Tait – Climate Scientist
NIWA National Climate Centre – Wellington
Phone +64 4 386 0562
Mobile +64 27 327 7948
[email protected]
Dr James Renwick – Principal Scientist
NIWA National Climate Centre – Wellington
Phone +64 4 386 0343
Mobile +64 21 178 5550
[email protected]