January 1976: January was unusually cloudy and wet in the North Island. It was a good month for milk production, but crops and fruit were adversely affected by rain and lack of sun, and it was a bad month for haymaking. A small local tornado caused some damage at Wairoa on the 1st.
Rainfall: Rainfall was above normal over nearly the whole of the North Island and also over the northern half of the South Island. It was more than double the average over Northland, Auckland, and northern Waikato, besides Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds. Auckland’s 237mm was the highest for January in 124 years of record. By contrast, rainfall was less than half the normal value in Central Otago and north-western Southland. In Northland and Auckland nearly all the rain fell during the 8 days 8-15 January. The 8th was the wettest day in the north, with 122mm at Kaitaia Aerodrome. Further south the 12th was the wettest, with 188mm at Warkworth. Considerable flooding was reported in many parts of Northland and Auckland. The 26th was a particularly wet day in Marlborough, with falls up to 179mm. Serious flooding was reported in the Rai Valley.
Some monthly totals (mm): Kaitaia 325, Whangarei 307, Whakatane 176, Napier 100, Kelburn 131, Stratford Mountain House 871, Nelson 186, Rai Valley 385, Christchurch 120; Ashburton 36, Tekapo 33, Dunedin 36, Cromwell 11.
Temperatures: Mean temperatures were mainly 0.5C above normal in the North Island and the same amount below normal in the South Island. The last 2 days of the month were the coldest, with maximum temperatures over the South Island 5-10C below normal.
36.6C maximum at Waiau on the 5th,
-2.1C minimum at Moa Creek on the 24th.
Sunshine: Sunshine was below normal except in Southland, Otago and the Mackenzie Country. The deficiency amounted mainly to 40-70 hours and was greatest in King Country and Manawatu. Among the lowest totals recorded were 140 hours at Palmerston North and 139 hours at Greymouth. In the North Island sunshine was the lowest for January since 1956.
[Some totals: Kaitaia 192, Dargaville 198, Whangarei 206, Auckland 180, Tauranga 202, Whakatane 184, Taupo 182, Te Kauwhata 168, Hamilton 178, Te Kuiti 149, Taumarunui 152, New Plymouth 174, Masterton 196, Dannevirke 146, Gisborne 188, Napier 179, Wairoa 193, Paraparaumu 180, Ohakea 168, Palmerston North 140, Levin 160, Wellington 177, Stratford 173, Wanganui 165, Westport 154, Hokitika 153, Greymouth 139, Haast 197, Riwaka 200, Nelson 195, Blenheim 215, Grassmere 177, Kaikoura 163, Mt Cook 183, Mt John 285, Methven 160, Christchurch 169, Tekapo 266, Timaru 137, Waimate 146,Oamaru Aero 162, Omarama 253, Palmerston 197, Dunedin 213, Te Anau 225, Queenstown 254, Alexandra 265, Gore 217, Invercargill 207].
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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February 12, 2012, 08:58:36 PM