October 1971: October was marked by an unusually high frequency of northwesterly winds. It was a wet month, and in parts of the North Island, too wet for farmers. Conditions were better in the South Island, with good growth. Violent northwesterly gales buffeted parts of Otago on the 27th, with a gust to 98mph at Dunedin Airport.
Rainfall: Rainfall was above normal over nearly the whole of the North Island and over the South Island except for Banks Peninsula and the Canterbury Plains north of Timaru, and parts of Otago and Southland. Marlborough, central and southern Hawkes Bay with parts of Wairarapa, and parts of the South Island high country received 2-4 times the normal value. The period from the 18th to the 24th was particularly wet over the North Island during the passage of 3 deep depressions. The second of these brought falls of up to 200mm to Wairarapa and Marlborough on the 20th; and the third brought falls of up to 300mm to central Hawkes Bay on the 23rd, with serious flooding.
Some totals: Taumarunui 245mm, New Plymouth 203mm, Chateau Tongariro 459mm, Napier 165mm, Stratford Mountain House 912mm, Milford 848mm, Taieri 19mm.
Temperatures: Temperatures were mainly close to normal. However, in some eastern districts from Timaru to Napier and in parts of Wellington and Manawatu they were 0.5C above normal; while in the Canterbury high country and parts of Buller and Nelson they were the same amount below normal.
27.0C maximum at Bromley, Christchurch on the 17th.
Sunshine: Sunshine was close to normal except in northern Northland, Wairarapa and the Thames-Bay of Plenty area [also in Nelson and central Marlborough], where it was up to 30 hours below normal.
[Some totals: Kaitaia 144, Kerikeri 147, Whangarei 162, Leigh 171, Auckland 165, Tauranga 177, Whakatane 191, Taupo 175, Opotiki 180, Auckland Aero 177, Hamilton 175, New Plymouth 194, Masterton 159, Gisborne 202, Napier 205, Wairoa 207, Paraparaumu 171, Ohakea 171, Kairanga 166, Palmerston North 139, Levin 143, Wellington 178, Stratford 189, Ohakune 133, Wanganui 171, Takaka 170, Westport 138, Hokitika 152, Greymouth 132, Haast 161, Riwaka 191, Nelson 194, Blenheim 203, Grassmere 181, Kaikoura 200, Mt Cook 116, Mt John 208, Methven 201, Christchurch 197, Tekapo 209, Timaru 170, Waimate 166, Omarama 184, Palmerston 174, Dunedin Aero 170, Dunedin 160, Oamaru 173, Queenstown 166, Alexandra 201, Invercargill 173, Raoul Is 190, Campbell Is 78, Chatham Is 163]
Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations).
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May 01, 2019, 03:45:18 PM