Weather in 19951995 was a year for climate extremes in New Zealand, being the wettest year ever in the north of the South Island and Central Otago, where records go back one hundred years. It was also a year of contrasting temperature patterns over the country. Mean temperatures were extremely high in Auckland, Waikato, eastern Bay of Plenty and some offshore islands, but below average in the south of the South Island, where it was sunny. Temperatures had recovered to pre-Pinatubo levels. Drought from the previous year was still occurring in Hawke's Bay through January, and as the year progressed there were eight significant floods.
Severe snowstorms occurred with extremely low temperatures in the south in June and July, with another significant snowstorm following in September. Heatwaves occurred in February and December.
In 1995 the absence of the Pinatubo effect and decay of El Niño was one of the main reasons for the year's climate being warmer than the previous three years.
Anticyclones were more frequent just northeast of the North Island. These gave northern New Zealand a higher than average frequency of mild northerlies and north westerlies, quite often of subtropical origin. At the same time more frequent troughs just east and south of the South Island gave cold outbreaks of sub-Antarctic air and cooler south westerlies over the south.
Wetter than usual. 1995 was an exceptionally wet year over much of the South Island, with 125 to 150 percent of average rainfall in northern, western and alpine regions, as well as Central Otago, and south Canterbury. It was the wettest year since 1878 at Hokitika, and the wettest in about 100 years of records in both Blenheim and Clyde (Central Otago).
The year was also wetter than usual in Coromandel and Tongariro, with rainfall between 125 and 135 percent of average. Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and other western North Island regions had between 110 and 125 percent of average rainfall.
Gisborne was the only region which was drier than normal, with rainfall 85 percent of average.
Of the four main centres, Auckland was the wettest with 1,349 mm and Christchurch the driest with 672 mm. Wellington amassed 1,340 mm and Dunedin 750 mm. More surprisingly Lincoln in Canterbury was the driest town with only 533 mm. The driest centre usually occurs in Central Otago. Milford Sound was the wettest location measuring 7,664 mm.
High mean temperatures. Mean temperatures were also extreme, being amongst the highest on record in Auckland, Hamilton and Whakatane. They were well above the 1961-1990 averages (by at least 0.5C) in Auckland, Waikato, eastern Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and southern Wairarapa. Mean temperatures were also at least 0.5C above average at both Raoul and Chatham Islands.
Locations with extremely high mean temperatures for 1995 were Whakatane with
15.2C (equal highest with 1948), and Chatham Island with
12.2C (equal highest with 1878). Temperatures were up to 0.4C above average in Northland, western Bay of Plenty, most other North Island regions, and north Canterbury.
Warm year. The national average temperature was 12.6C, which was 0.1C above normal. This made 1995 the warmest year since 1990. The temperature was 0.1C above the 1961-1990 average and compares favourably with the cooler years from 1992 through 1994, with temperatures of 11.7, 11.9 and 12.3C respectively.
The highest temperature for New Zealand in 1995 was
37.0C, measured at Geraldine on 26 February. Fairlie recorded
35.0C. Dunedin had
34.6C on the same day; the highest there for any month since records began in 1853.
Most regions had near average sunshine in 1995. However, Otago and the Southern Lakes were much sunnier than usual with at least 110 percent of average sunshine, while Buller, south Westland, Southland and south Canterbury all had between 105 and 110 percent of average sunshine.
Nelson was the sunniest centre recording 2,394 hours, followed closely by Blenheim with 2,334 hours, and then Tauranga with 2,318 hours.
Heavy rain fell over a large part of southern New Zealand between 11 and 13 December. River levels rose rapidly with floodwaters inundating low-lying areas of Alexandra and Roxburgh (Central Otago), while abnormally high lake levels flooded the Queenstown shoreline area and threatened Wanaka residents. Major South Island rivers, such as the Waitaki and Clutha, as well as the Rangitata and Manuherikia rivers breached their banks in places.
The flooding was extensive in Alexandra (which recorded a 2-day rainfall of 103 mm) as the Clutha and Manuherikia rivers overflowed into low-lying parts of the town, and is believed to have been the worst in the 131-year history of the town.
A state of emergency was declared in the Hakataramea township (Waitaki Valley) where the stopbank was breached in a number of places and about 15 people were evacuated. The town's bridge was badly damaged. On the West Coast the Waiho bridge was washed out, leaving 200 tourists stranded at Franz Josef, with an Air Force helicopter running emergency services across the river. Franz Josef recorded a 2-day rainfall total of 592 mm, the highest there since records began in 1953.
Drought. Hawke's Bay rainfalls continued below average in January, for the eighth consecutive month. The drought ended in autumn.
This was the driest April on record in Dunedin, south Otago and Southland. Dunedin's April rainfall was the lowest since records began in 1853, Gore's since 1907 and Invercargill's since records began in 1900.
Heat wave. An exceptionally warm period occurred, with heat wave conditions in northern and eastern regions of the North Island from 1 to 8 December, and south western regions of the North Island from 21 to 23 December. Highest ever temperatures were measured at several centres including Levin, where the
28.5C on 21 December was the highest since records began in 1895.
Record low temperatures. After a very cold southerly outbreak (at the end of June) left a widespread blanket of snow lying at low levels, an air temperature of
−21.6C, the lowest New Zealand air temperature ever recorded, occurred at Ophir (Central Otago) during the early hours of the morning on 3 July. The previous extreme low air temperature for New Zealand (−19.7C) was also recorded at Ophir over the night of 1 July 1943.
A new all-time record low air temperature of
−8.4C was recorded on 3 July at Queenstown, the lowest since records began in 1929.
Snowfalls. In early June 40 cars were trapped by heavy snow in the Hundalees area south of Cheviot, and many rural north Canterbury schools were closed. In mid June, late June and July there were further heavy snowfalls to low levels in the South Island.
Another bitterly cold southerly outbreak spread over New Zealand on 16 July, with snow to sea level in eastern North Island regions from Wellington to Gisborne, lying for the first time in living memory in Rotorua, and even seen on Kapiti Island. The Desert Road was closed for a record 10 days; Wellington region snowfall was the biggest since June 1976.
Again in September there were heavy snowfalls in inland south Canterbury, Otago and northwestern Southland (where major power cuts occurred), with about 50,000 lambs lost in the freezing weather; 50 cm fell at the Hermitage (Mt Cook), 45 cm at Tekapo, 40 cm in Te Anau. Snow also occurred in the Manawatu Gorge-Pahiatua Track area, the most in 20 years. More cold southerlies brought snow to high country areas in Southland, Otago and south Canterbury, with a further 50,000 lambs lost.
So wet and Warm for the North and Cool in the South, you going post these 1995 Monthly weather summaries very soon to tell with these months are warmer or cooler, plus the wettest where Tauranga had the wettest March on record.
New Zealand Official Yearbook 1996
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June 06, 2019, 08:51:09 PM