October 1974: Like most previous months of 1974, October was marked by an unusually high frequency of winds from an easterly quarter. It was a cloudy month and for most places also wetter than normal. Growth was good, but in many eastern districts conditions were too wet for sheep. There were lamb losses in the South Island due to snow to comparatively low levels on the 8th-9th. During the same storm strong south-easterly gales caused considerable damage in Westland.
Rainfall: Rainfall was above normal except in Northland with Auckland and Waikato, and in Fiordland with western Southland. In most districts the excess amounted to 50%. However, rainfall was more than double the normal value about Cook Strait, in parts of Nelson, on the Kaikoura Coast and in North Canterbury, and over the greater part of Otago. In some areas a large proportion fell from the 7th to the 9th. During these 3 days parts of the Marlborough Sounds reported rainfalls of 200mm, while a station to the northeast of Nelson had 315mm. Flooding resulted in parts of Nelson and Marlborough besides Otago. Some districts exposed to the southeast have had a particularly wet spell from April to October. Wellington has had 1406mm during this period, the wettest of any 7-month period in 112 years of observation. This total was 70% above the normal for April-October; and similar excesses have been recorded in southern Wairarapa, on the Kaikoura Coast, and in parts of North Canterbury.
Some totals: Kelburn 255mm, Stratford mountain House 887mm, Hokitika 348mm, Nelson Aero 187mm, Alexandra 85mm; Cape Reinga 20mm, Invercargill 56mm.
Temperatures: Over most of the country temperatures were close to or above normal, with highest departures of 1C in the Waitomo-Taranaki-Wanganui area. Temperatures were particularly wintry in eastern areas on the last 2-3 days of the month.
25.6C maximum at Darfield on the 17th,
-3.7C minimum at Waiouru on the 1st.
Sunshine: In eastern districts from Wairarapa southward sunshine was mainly below average by 30-60 hours. The values of 111-115 hours recorded at Waimate, Dunedin Airport, Balclutha and Invercargill were all unusually low, Waimate’s being the lowest for October in 40 years of record.
[Some totals: Dargaville 186, Auckland 176, Tauranga 203, Whakatane 221, Taupo 183, Hamilton 186, New Plymouth 182, Masterton 151, Gisborne 228, Napier 214, Ohakea 199, Palmerston North 159, Wellington 172, Stratford 168, Wanganui 207, Hokitika 182, Greymouth 189, Haast 173, Nelson 196, Blenheim 218, Kaikoura 156, Mt John 203, Christchurch 172, Timaru 148, Waimate 113, Dunedin Aero 111, Dunedin 122, Queenstown 170, Alexandra 186, Invercargill 114].
Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations).
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March 28, 2012, 04:13:52 PM