Climate Summary for March 2009
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. Very dry in other areas except the western Bay of Plenty and eastern Otago.
- Sunshine: Record March sunshine in Northland, Auckland, King Country, and central South Island; above normal elsewhere.
- Temperature: Below average over most of the country; well below average for parts of southern Hawke’s Bay.
Exceptionally low rainfall occurred in Marlborough, north Canterbury, Tekapo, north and central Otago where less than 10 mm was recorded at some locations. It was also well below normal (less than 50% of normal) in Waikato, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, southern Manawatu and Wellington. Rainfall was below normal elsewhere (between 50 and 80 percent of normal) except in western Bay of Plenty and eastern Otago (where rainfall was between 120 and 200% of normal).
Extremely high sunshine totals for March were recorded in the north of the North Island where values were 30% or more above average. A new March record of 268 sunshine hours (144 percent of normal) occurred in Kaitaia. Other areas of New Zealand received above normal (between 110 and 125% of normal) sunshine for the month.
Temperatures were cooler than average over most of the country for March. Averaged over the whole month, temperatures were below average (by between -0.5 and -1.5°C) for all of the North Island except for Northland, Bay of Plenty and East Cape and over all of the South Island except for north Canterbury, Otago and Southland (where temperatures were near or slightly below normal). Temperatures in parts of Southern Hawke’s Bay were well below normal (by between -1.5 and -2.0°C). The national average temperature of 15.1°C was 0.6°C below the long-term average for March.
The most significant extreme weather events to impact on the country in March were on the 5th to the 7th and on the 17th. The 5–7 March storm crossed the upper North Island and moved down to the Bay of Plenty. Winds reached 150 km/h at Cape Reinga. The high winds, heavy rain and lightning strikes caused property damage and brought down trees and power lines. On 17 March, heavy rain caused surface flooding, landslips, and sewer overflows in Tauranga.
March 2009 was dominated by the slow passage of anticyclones (“highs”) coming over New Zealand from the west. Frequently, these highs stalled over the Tasman Sea resulting in south to south-westerly air flows over New Zealand, which contributed to the cooler-than-normal temperatures experienced during the month. The generally anticyclonic conditions also resulted in the very dry and sunny conditions for March, with a lack of extreme events.
Further highlights
- The highest temperature during March 2009 was 30.5°C recorded at Hastings on the 1st. The lowest temperature during March was recorded in the Hakataramea Valley (near Kurow) on the 22nd, where the minimum temperature was -2.8°C.
- The highest 1-day rainfall total for March was 147 mm recorded at Te Puke on the 6th (the second highest March 1-day total for this location, since records began in 1973).
- The wind gust of 163 km/hr recorded on the Takapau Plains (southern Hawke’s Bay) on the 12th was the highest gust for March for New Zealand.
- Of the six main centres, Tauranga was the warmest and wettest, Auckland was the sunniest and Christchurch was the driest.
Full report
Full details of the March 2009 Climate Summary
Climate statistics tables
Climate statistics March 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]
Acknowledgement of NIWA as the source is required.