NZ weather summary August 1959

[Rwood]

August 1959: Comparatively dry and sunny over most of the country, Northland and Gisborne being the chief exceptions. It was a good month for stock, and particularly favourable for lambing. In some areas pastures were affected by lack of rain. The winter season has been unusually dry and sunny over most of the South Island and the southern half of the Wellington province.

Rainfall: Rainfall was less than half the average over the greater part of the South Island and in southern and western districts of the North Island. On the Kaikoura Coast, Canterbury Plains, and inland north Otago totals were mainly below 0.5” and for some stations it was the driest August on record. The only areas with rainfall somewhat above normal were Northland and Coromandel, Gisborne and northern Hawkes Bay, and parts of Southland. For the winter season, Wellington received 6.17”, the lowest on record. Dunedin received 3.25”, the lowest since 1859.

Temperatures: Temperatures were about 1F above average in the North Island and in parts of Nelson and Marlborough. Elsewhere they were close to normal.

Sunshine: Over northern and eastern districts of the South Island and in the southern half of the Wellington province sunshine was 20-60 hours above average. In the same areas the total sunshine for winter was the highest for at least 27 years; for Masterton, Wellington, Christchurch and Ashburton it was the highest on record.

[Some totals: Te Hapua 172, Kaitaia 173, Kerikeri 138, Whangarei 139, Auckland 165, Tauranga 161, Whakatane 177, Taupo 144, Hamilton 128, New Plymouth 159, Masterton 169, Gisborne 163, Napier 180, Wairoa 166, Paraparaumu 179, Ohakea 165, Palmerston Nth 154, Levin 165, Wellington 175, Wanganui 159, Westport 185, Hokitika 177, Greymouth 158, Haast 180, Nelson 219, Blenheim 205, Grassmere 197, Mt Cook 149, Methven 224 {only 11 short of the NZ record at that time}, Christchurch 195, Tekapo 195, Timaru 184, Waimate 158, Omarama 194, Dunedin 159, Queenstown 124, Alexandra 171, Invercargill 127, Campbell Is 28, Chatham Is 118].


Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations) - additional comments by the poster.

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[Rwood]

A brilliantly sunny winter over a substantial area. However the sunniest ever values in winter months in relative terms (by % of recordable) were 231 hours at Blenheim in July 1952 and 227 at Nelson in the same month. Blenheim's value was almost 85% of the recordable amount and that has not been reliably exceeded anywhere in the country in any month.

[ato2]

That is a staggering amount for a Winter month. Was July 1952 very sunny across most of the country or just in the Nelson/Malborough area?

[Rwood]

A brilliantly sunny winter over a substantial area. However the sunniest ever values in winter months in relative terms (by % of recordable) were 231 hours at Blenheim in July 1952 and 227 at Nelson in the same month. Blenheim's value was almost 85% of the recordable amount and that has not been reliably exceeded anywhere in the country in any month.
That is a staggering amount for a Winter month. Was July 1952 very sunny across most of the country or just in the Nelson/Malborough area?
[/quote]

Sunnier than average over almost the whole country, especially in the east,  though less spectacularly so. Only average in Southland and Central Otago. Record or near-record highs of 197 hours at Tauranga, 184 at Napier and 172 at Christchurch. I don't have the detailed report to hand, but conditions were very anticyclonic.

[ato2]

That is a staggering amount for a Winter month. Was July 1952 very sunny across most of the country or just in the Nelson/Malborough area?

Sunnier than average over almost the whole country, especially in the east,  though less spectacularly so. Only average in Southland and Central Otago. Record or near-record highs of 197 hours at Tauranga, 184 at Napier and 172 at Christchurch. I don't have the detailed report to hand, but conditions were very anticyclonic.
Thanks for that - one of those Winter months that was out of the box!