NZ weather summary July 1960

[Rwood]

July 1960:  The changeable weather was fairly typical of the midwinter month. In the South Island however, and particularly in Canterbury, it was very mild, and favourable for farming. Conditions in the North Island were also mainly favourable for stock, but in parts of Northland the ground was very wet. A vigorous cold front which crossed the country on the 25th-26th brought the coldest weather to date this year. Southerly winds reached strong gale force in some North Island districts, uprooting trees and snapping power poles in North Taranaki. Snow fell to low levels in the South Island and covered the high country of the North Island.

Rainfall:  Rainfall was half the average value in Hawkes Bay, Canterbury and Otago. Around and to the northwest of Hastings it was less than a quarter. The Wellington and Rotorua districts and the greater part of Taranaki and Westland had 50% more rainfall than normal.

Temperatures: Over most of the South Island it was 2F-4F warmer than average, but in the North Island temperatures were mainly close to normal. At the Hermitage, Mt Cook, it was the warmest July in 30 years of records. In addition the fall on the 26th, snow fell on Ruapehu on the 6th and 20th. Generally however there was much less snow than usual on the ranges, especially in the South Island. The most frosty period was the 7th to the 15th, when the weather was comparatively settled.

Sunshine: Sunshine was close to average over most of the country. However, Central Otago, Nelson, Manawatu and Wellington received 15-40 hours less than normal; while Gisborne and parts of Northland and the Canterbury Plains were favoured with 20 hours more than average.

[Some totals: Te Hapua 146, Kaitaia 156, Kerikeri 151, Whangarei 137, Auckland 135, Tauranga 157, Whakatane 169, Taupo 120, Hamilton 120, New Plymouth 135, Masterton 102, Gisborne 150, Napier 141, Wairoa 134, Paraparaumu 112, Ohakea 100, Palmerston Nth 80, Levin 109, Wellington 92, Wanganui 102, Westport 122, Hokitika 125, Greymouth 96, Haast 130, Nelson 143, Blenheim 175, Grassmere 147, Kaikoura 132, Mt Cook 83, Methven 150, Christchurch 132, Tekapo 109, Timaru 135, Waimate 135, Omarama 142, Dunedin 111, Queenstown 82, Alexandra 79, Invercargill 87, Campbell Is 10, Chatham Is 83].


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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