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Author Topic: NZ weather summary January 1974  (Read 4225 times)

Offline Rwood

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NZ weather summary January 1974
« on: March 28, 2012, 11:08:39 AM »
January 1974: Barometers were high over the South Island in January and there was a comparatively high frequency of southerly to easterly winds. It was a dry month, with the driest, warmest and sunniest weather in western and northern districts. In parts of the North Island rainfall had been inadequate since September. Most areas showed little pasture growth.

Rainfall: Rainfall was below normal except in a 50-km wide strip near the coast from Tokomaru Bay to Wairoa and also near the coast from Dunedin to Balclutha. The deficiency was greatest in northern and western districts of both islands. The whole area from Auckland through Waikato to Waitomo and Rotorua-Taupo received less than 1/4 of the normal rainfall, as did a considerable part of the Alps and the Canterbury high country, and parts of Nelson and Marlborough. The average percentage of the 1941-70 normal was 35 in the North Island and 55 in the South Island.

Some totals: Gisborne 87mm; Kaitaia 13mm, Albert Park 8mm, Rotorua Aero 8mm, Waitarere Forest 8mm, Blenheim 6mm, Milford 153mm, Mt Cook 88mm, Tekapo 9mm.

Temperatures:  Temperatures were up to 1C above normal in western districts, and in northern districts of the North Island. Elsewhere they were about the same amount below normal.

35.0C maximum at Ashburton on the 28th.

Sunshine:  Western and northern districts were favoured with 30-70 hours above normal sunshine. In the east sunshine showed considerable variations. North Otago and South Canterbury had up to 60 hours above normal, but Gisborne and northern Hawkes Bay had a deficiency of 40 hours.

[Some totals:  Kaitaia 262, Whangarei 270, Leigh 291, Auckland 304, Tauranga 297, Whakatane 274, Taupo 256, Opotiki 277, Auckland Aero 304, Hamilton 295, New Plymouth Aero 287, Masterton 218, Gisborne 208, Napier 229, Wairoa 203, Paraparaumu 275, Ohakea 273, Kairanga 260, Palmerston North 227, Levin 249, Wellington 271, Stratford 292, Ohakune 241, Wanganui 267, Takaka 289, Westport 266, Hokitika 243, Greymouth 232, Haast 243, Riwaka 330, Nelson 322, Blenheim 272, Grassmere 243, Kaikoura 227, Mt Cook 217, Mt John 293, Methven 207, Christchurch 212, Tekapo n/a, Timaru 203, Waimate 226, Omarama 280, Palmerston 235, Dunedin Aero 220, Dunedin 208, Oamaru 230, Queenstown 275, Alexandra 275, Invercargill 215, Raoul Is 140, Campbell Is 106, Chatham Is 186].

Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations).
« Last Edit: September 07, 2019, 05:32:05 PM by Rwood »



Offline Rwood

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Re: NZ weather summary January 1974
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2019, 05:33:49 PM »
A distinct east-west split in "summeriness". Riwaka's 330 hours was the highest NZ tally since January 1957.

Offline ato2

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Re: NZ weather summary January 1974
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2019, 07:22:46 PM »
Not trying be off topic here but long term, how often do we get distinct east-west splits say for the Summer season, or even a couple of months of it? One year in five or ten? I was just wondering, if in terms of what most people would probably like- less rain, warmer, more sunshine than normal- is east or west more likely to get the better deal? And yes, I guess it cannot be too often, or the norm would rise etc.
Just idly thinking...hope it isn't as clear as mud.

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Offline Rwood

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Re: NZ weather summary January 1974
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2019, 11:31:12 AM »
A distinct east-west split in "summeriness". Riwaka's 330 hours was the highest NZ tally since January 1957.
Not trying be off topic here but long term, how often do we get distinct east-west splits say for the Summer season, or even a couple of months of it? One year in five or ten? I was just wondering, if in terms of what most people would probably like- less rain, warmer, more sunshine than normal- is east or west more likely to get the better deal? And yes, I guess it cannot be too often, or the norm would rise etc.
Just idly thinking...hope it isn't as clear as mud.
[/quote]

Hard to say - not that uncommon I think. But north-south splits (at varying latitude cutoffs) would be more frequent. Of course they would oscillate fairly evenly unless differences between averages were altering.

But for the basic preferences - overall "east" is drier and sunnier than "west" - but of course one really needs to break things down to smaller regions …

Realistically there are many areas and some towns that don't really fit into either category - I suggest these categories for a start: Whakatane and Blenheim NE, Nelson NE/NW, Northland just N (with some variances in rain/sun depending on the east-west wind balance), Auckland N/W, Taupo and much of the NI hinterland "Central" mixed with NE or NW, Wellington hard to categorise but a mixture of several - and similar complexities for some of  the South Island.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2019, 01:16:54 PM by Rwood »


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