June: Cold and frosty with plentiful sunshine

Niwa National Climate Centre
Thursday 2 July 2009

National Climate Summary – June 2009: Cold and frosty with plentiful sunshine

• Temperature: Well below average over much of the country.
• Rainfall: Above normal rainfall in the north and east of the North Island, near normal rainfall for the Wairarapa, Nelson and Marlborough. Below normal rainfall elsewhere, with record low June rainfall in central Otago.
• Sunshine: Well above normal over the north and west of the North Island, as well as Taupo, Bay of Plenty, parts of the Hawke’s Bay, Fiordland and Westland.

Extremely low temperatures for June (between 2.0 and 2.5 °C lower than normal) were recorded in the Waikato, Taumarunui, Taupo, southern Hawke’s Bay, Central Otago, the Kaikoura Coast, and some alpine areas of the South Island. All other locations experienced below average temperatures (between 0.5 and 1.8 °C lower than normal). The national average temperature of 7.5°C was 0.7°C below the long-term average for June.

Well above normal rainfall for June (about 150 percent of normal) occurred in northern parts of Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. Near normal rainfall was recorded in Northland, the Waikato, Taupo, Wairarapa, Nelson and Marlborough districts. Well below normal June rainfall (less than 50 percent of normal) was recorded in parts of Taranaki and the Manawatu, and across much of the South Island except for Nelson and Marlborough. Extremely low June rainfalls (less than 10% of normal, and the lowest on record for June) were measured in central Otago.

Well above normal sunshine totals for June (greater than 125 percent of normal) were recorded in Northland, Auckland, the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taupo, parts of Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay, Fiordland and Westland. Below normal June sunshine (75 – 90 percent of normal) occurred in coastal Otago, coastal Canterbury, the Wairarapa, and around East Cape.

There were several extreme events during June. High winds and rainfall affected Gisborne on the 12th and 13th. On the 16th, snow and ice to low levels affected Otago and Southland. Frosty conditions and cold temperatures affected many areas of New Zealand between the 16th and 26th. On the 27th, thick fog affected Auckland. During the last 3 days of the month, a slow-moving low brought heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms to the northeast of the country. Thunderstorms and heavy rain affected Northland and Auckland on the 28th. The system then brought heavy rain to Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay on the 29th, as well as snow to the Central Plateau. A civil defence emergency was put in place in Gisborne on the 30th, as rain continued and rivers rose.

The average pressure pattern for June 2009 was dominated by anticyclones (“highs”) to the far southwest of New Zealand, and higher-than-normal pressures over the country. The persistent wintertime “highs” experienced over New Zealand in June resulted in more frosts, colder than normal temperatures, and more southerly air flows than normal over the country.

Further Highlights:
• The highest temperature during June 2009 was 24.5 °C recorded at Henderson, Auckland, on the 29th. The lowest temperature during June was recorded at Hanmer Springs, with a minimum temperature of -8.9 °C.
• The highest 1-day rainfall total for June was 91.8 mm, recorded at Whitianga on the 28th.
• The highest wind gust for June was 133 km/hr recorded at Stephens Island (Cook Strait) on the 28th.
• Of the six main centres, Dunedin was the coldest and driest, Auckland was the warmest, Tauranga was the wettest, and Hamilton was the sunniest.

www.niwa.co.nz/ncc

ENDS

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