NZ weather summary September 1963

[Rwood]

September 1963: September was unusually cloudy, except in the Auckland province. In most districts pasture growth was too slow. Cold wet weather early in the month killed some lambs in the South Island, and some were lost in the exceptional cold of the 25th.

Rainfall: Over most of the country rainfall was close to average. However, it was more than 50% above average in the Waitomo-Taupo area, in parts of Nelson, and in North Otago and Dunedin. In central Northland, on the East Coast and in western Southland it was appreciably below normal. A prolonged and severe thunderstorm affected parts of the Alps on the night of the 12th, with some heavy downpours. Thunderstorms also affected parts of the Auckland province on the 21st, and an exceptionally heavy hail storm damaged vegetable crops at Pukekohe.

Temperatures: Temperatures were 1F-2F above average in Northland and Auckland, Hawkes Bay, and northern and western districts of the South Island. Elsewhere they were close to normal. The 25th was an exceptionally cold day, with light snow reported as far north as Waikato, and a heavy fall in the central high country of the North Island.

Sunshine: Except over most of the Auckland province, sunshine was more than 30 hours below normal. From Wanganui to Wellington and over nearly the whole of the South Island it was more than 50 hours below normal. For most of Canterbury it was the cloudiest September on record, with only 90 hours of sunshine at Christchurch.  Other places with record September lows were Wanganui, Wellington and Westport [Since broken for these 3 places; I remember well a dismal month in Dunedin, very different from the previous September]. Northland and Auckland were favoured with about 10 hours more than average, while Waikato and Bay of Plenty received about 10-20 hours less than average.

[Some totals: Te Hapua 188, Kaitaia 179, Kerikeri 174, Whangarei 166, Auckland 181, Tauranga 173, Whakatane 178, Taupo 140, Opotiki 165, Hamilton 153, New Plymouth 130, Masterton 117, Gisborne 147, Napier 154, Wairoa 144, Paraparaumu 110, Ohakea 114, Palmerston Nth 101, Levin 97, Wellington 115, Stratford 111, Ohakune 91, Wanganui 106, Westport 118, Hokitika 124, Greymouth 118, Haast 103, Nelson 153, Blenheim 131 (also record low), Grassmere 125, Kaikoura 112, Mt Cook 103, Methven 111, Christchurch 90, Tekapo 140, Timaru 96, Waimate 101, Omarama 102, Dunedin Aero 101, Dunedin 93, Queenstown 112, Alexandra 122, Invercargill 106, Campbell Is 54, Chatham Is 78].


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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