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Autumn 2004

28 February 2007

Wednesday, 9 June 2004

Temperatures: Below average in many regions
Rainfall: Below average in the far north, the south and west of the North Island, Marlborough, and Fiordland; above average in coastal Southland
Sunshine: Sunny in the North Island and the east of the South Island

Autumn’s climate was cooler than usual, especially in the west of the North Island from Northland to King Country, with average or below average rainfall over much of the country. However, rainfall was above average along the Southland coast. Soil moisture levels were lower than normal in Central Otago. It was sunny in the North Island, as well as the east of the South Island. The climate patterns in autumn were dominated by more frequent southwesterlies in March, anticyclones (“highs”) in April, and more frequent northeasterlies in May.

Highlights

  • The highest autumn temperature was 31.7°C, recorded at Kaikoura on 10 March. Temperatures were also unusually high for May in the north and east of the North Island on 2 May, with 27.3°C recorded at Nelson Park, Napier, a new North Island record for May.
  • The lowest temperature for the autumn was –8.0°C, recorded at Fairlie on 9 April.
  • Events with high rainfall during autumn were: 224 mm at Mt. Cook Village on 10 March, 124 mm at Motueka on 8 April, 207 mm in Tauranga over 17–28 April, and as much as 100 mm in Northland, Auckland, and Coromandel on 1 May.
  • A cold southerly outbreak produced snowfall on the Desert Road over the night of 28/29 March. This was the earliest significant snowfall event in the year for the Desert Road since 22 March 1993. Snowfall also occurred in Canterbury, lying at both Oxford and Darfield near the foothills and down to 500 m in the North Island on 6 April. On the same day hail was widespread throughout Wanganui, with a thick layer of hailstones whitening the ground in the city, causing damage to roofs, and disruption to traffic. Snow settled in Methven on 24 May.
  • Violent electrical storms occurred over Stanmore Bay, Whangaparoa Pensinsula, on 29 April, resulting in power outages.
  • Of the four main centres Wellington was the sunniest and Christchurch the driest. Rainfall was near average in Dunedin and below average in the other three centres. Temperatures were below average in all four centres. Sunshine hours were above normal in Wellington and Dunedin, and near normal in the other two main centres.

Temperatures

The autumn national average temperature of 12.7°C was 0.6°C below normal, the lowest since 1997. Mean temperatures were below normal in many regions, and at least 1.0°C below normal in parts of Northland, Auckland, Waikato, and King Country. They were near normal in eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, north Canterbury, Fiordland, and Central Otago.

Rainfall

Rainfall was below average in the far north, and the west of the North Island from Auckland to Wellington, as well as Tongariro/Ruapehu, Wairarapa, central Marlborough, and Fiordland. Above average rainfall occurred on the Southland coast.

Sunshine

Sunshine totals were above normal throughout much of the North Island, and the east of the South Island from Marlborough to Southland. Totals were below average in the west of the South Island from Buller to Fiordland.

Full report

Full details of Autumn 2004 summary.

For further information, please contact:

Dr Jim Salinger – Principal Scientist, Climate
NIWA National Climate Centre – Auckland
Phone +64 9 375 2053
[email protected]

Stuart Burgess – Climatologist
NIWA National Climate Centre – Wellington
Phone +64 4 386 0569
[email protected]

Geoff Baird – Communications Manager
Phone +64 4 386 0543
[email protected]

Acknowledgement of NIWA as the source is required.