December 1980: Pressures during December were below average over northern districts, but elsewhere were above with large anomalies being recorded in the area south of the country. Winds from the westerly quarter predominated over New Zealand except in the far north.
Rainfall: The only areas to have above normal rainfall were Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, parts of Northland, and the Bay of Plenty. Areas of Gisborne and Hawkes Bay had more than 250% of normal while many South Island regions had less than 40% of the average rainfall. Rain starting on the 22nd in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay and the heavy rain which followed in the next 7 days resulted in flooding there. In Gisborne the Waipaoa River rose to 9m above the normal level on the 27th, threatening to isolate Te Karaka. The 48 hour rainfalls to 9am/27th included 257mm at Otoko and 111mm at East Cape. In Hawkes Bay the Heretaunga Plains were flooded on the 28th when the Ngaruroro River burst its stopbanks at Twyford. An estimated 800-1000 hectares of orchard and market garden land were inundated with flood waters causing crops to be destroyed. The 7-day rainfall totals from the 22nd to the 28th are the highest ever recorded at many Hawkes Bay stations. These include Brentford (449mm), Smedley (364mm) and Gwavas (277mm). It was also the wettest December on record for many stations. Those with long records include Otoko (1913), Rissington (1907), Te Mata (1889) and Mount Vernon (1890). On the other hand, along the east coast of the South island, Timaru had its driest December since 1916. It was also the driest December at Woodend (records from 1965) and Coldstream (1964).
Some monthly totals (mm): Te Aroha 259, Waipukurau 275, Ruatoria 359, Mangatu Forest 473, Wharerata Forest 786, Napier 228; Ohakea 33, Levin 24, Rotoiti 11, Greymouth 65, Molesworth 19, Timaru 9, Chatham Is 15.
Temperatures: Over the North Island mean temperatures were generally below the December normal, while in the South Island they were above. In some east coast districts of the South Island they were warmer by more than 1C. During a warm spell in the middle of the month many east coast districts recorded maximum temperatures 30C and above. These include Gisborne (33.6C on the 15th) and Timaru (31.8C on the 15th).
33.6C maximum at Gisborne on the 15th,
-2.5c minimum at Moa Creek on the 1st.
Sunshine: There was less sunshine than usual over the North Island and the northeast of the South Island. Elsewhere over the South Island it was above average. Stations with below normal sunshine include Napier (80 hours), Gisborne (58 hours), Blenheim (55 hours), Kelburn (59 hours) and New Plymouth (48 hours). On the other hand those receiving more than usual include Hokitika (34 hours) and Westport (23 hours). At Blenheim the total of 185 hours was its lowest (records from 1930), and Napier’s 152 hours was easily its lowest (records from 1930). It was the sunniest month at Westport and Hokitika since 1974 and 1968 respectively.
[Some totals: Kaitaia 187, Dargaville 166, Waitangi 200, Whangarei 157, Auckland 214, Tauranga 164, Whakatane 204, Rotorua 200, Taupo 171, Hamilton 166, New Plymouth 174, Masterton 144, Dannevirke 144, Gisborne 180, Napier 152, Wairoa 162, Paraparaumu 192, Ohakea 176, Palmerston North 129, Levin 167, Wellington 165, Stratford 178, Wanganui 153, Westport 220, Arapito 190, Hokitika 239, Greymouth 217, Nelson 239, Blenheim 185, Grassmere 169, Kaikoura 161, Mt Cook 185, Methven 176, Christchurch 209, Tekapo 256, Timaru 198, Oamaru Aero 194, Omarama 248, Palmerston 181, Dunedin 180, Te Anau 239, Queenstown 252, Cromwell 250, Alexandra 245, Gore 195, Invercargill 195,
Campbell Is 65 (2nd lowest)].
Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations).
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May 05, 2015, 09:50:56 PM