New Zealand Local Weather Forum
Weather Discussion => Historical => 1980 - 1984 => Topic started by: Sheldybett on October 08, 2024, 11:22:42 PM
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August 1981: The weather for August was very variable, with reports from different regions varying from cold and very wet to relatively mild and dry. Strong winds were less frequent than usual over the whole country. In the south, south-easterlies were much more frequent than usual, while north-westerlies occurred only half as often as normal for August. There were also slightly more south-easterly winds than usual in the north. Grass growth was poor in many districts due to cool, wet conditions. Some lambing losses were reported from most areas, particularly during a cold wet spell between the 22nd and 25th. Cold weather also affected calving in northern area. Although drier in the south of the South Island grass growth was still poor due to severe frosts.
Rainfall: Rainfall was below normal in Manawatu, Auckland and Coromandel in the North Island and for all of the South Island except coastal areas between Christchurch and Blenheim. Fiordland and Westland were particularly dry. Milford Sound and Franz Josef recorded only 13 percent and 14 percent respectively of their normal rainfall and most other stations on the west coast recorded less than 30 percent of their normal August rainfall. The rainfall at Milford Sound (55 mm) was the fifth lowest total for any month since the station opened in 1930 and at Franz Josef (52 mm) the fourth lowest for any month since 1926. Central, south and eastern areas of the North Island and the northeast of the South Island had above normal rainfall,with some eastern districts having more than twice their normal rainfall. Christchurch had nearly 40 mm of rain in 12 hours on the 26th and this, combined with high tides, caused flooding in low lying areas around the Heathcote River.
Some totals (mm): North Egmont 509, Waikaremoana 289, Ruatoria 237, Coromandel 233, Whangarei 229, Hastings 193, Gisborne 187, Napier 176, Albert Park, Auckland 114, Blenheim 71, Lake Pukaki 20, Twizel 15, Craigieburn Forest 7
Temperature: Mean temperatures for August were below normal by an average of 0.5C in the North Island and 1.0 C in the South Island. In many areas, particularly those from Rotorua and Hamilton south, mean maximum temperatures were up to 2.5C lower than average. At Wellington the extreme maximum temperature, 12.9 C, was the lowest for any month since recording began in 1869 . Other very low extreme maximums were 10.4 C at Waiouru and 13.0'C at Kaingaroa Forest, both records for August since the stations opened is 1966 and 1951 respectively. Dunedin had its lowest maximum for August since 1907, Napier since 1961 and Tauranga and Tapanui their lowest since 1964. There were several distinct cold spells this month. On the 3rd and 4th mean temperatures over the whole country were between 2°C and 4°C below the monthly average, while on the 12th some central North Island districts reported minimum temperatures as much as 9°C to 10°C below average. There was a period of cool weather between the 24th and 30th during which maximum temperatures in the South Island were up to 8C below average and mean temperatures were between 2C and 4C low for the whole country at times.
19.0°C maximum at Marsden Point on the 23rd, -8.4°C minimum at Ophir on the 29th.
Sunshine: Sunshine hours were mostly close to or slightly above normal for northern and western areas of both Island and slightly below average in other areas. Among those stations with greatest anomalies were Hokitika (+32 hrs), Westport (+20 hrs), Hamilton (+18 hrs), Wellington (-24 hrs), Gisborne and Christchurch (both -20 hrs).
[Some totals: Kaitaia 166, Waitangi 165, Whangarei 142, Leigh 169, Auckland 173, Tauranga 164, Whakatane 177, Rotorua 155, Taupo 150, Auckland Aero 156, Hamilton 162, New Plymouth 166, Masterton 91, Dannevirke 88, Gisborne 128, Napier 119, Wairoa 109, Paraparaumu 143, Ohakea 132, Palmerston North 90, Levin 121, Wellington 107, Stratford n/a, Wanganui 130, Westport 167, Arapito 149, Hokitika 175, Greymouth 147, Nelson 180, Blenheim 157, Grassmere 118, Kaikoura 110, Mt Cook 129, Methven 134, Christchurch 128, Timaru 134, Oamaru Aero 134, Omarama 151, Palmerston 125, Dunedin Aero 138, Dunedin 107, Te Anau 125, Queenstown 136, Cromwell 162, Alexandra 162, Gore 146, Invercargill 145]
Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 120 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 120 (Meteorological Observations).