NIWA November Report

Sunny with low rainfall  - severe soil moisture deficits in Marlborough and Central Otago – hot spell in the north and east

·        Rainfall: Well below normal in many regions, especially Marlborough, Nelson, and Otago

·        Temperature:  Near average, apart from high temperatures in the north and east between the 20th and 26th    

·        Sunshine: Above normal  in many regions

November 2007 was extremely dry in many regions, especially in the South Island, with totals of less than 10 mm throughout much of Nelson, Marlborough, and central Otago.  The second half of November was very dry and very warm, with little rainfall in many areas. Severe soil moisture deficits (more than 130 mm) developed in Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, and parts of Canterbury and Otago, with significant soil moisture deficits (more than 110 mm) in Bay of Plenty, Taupo, Gisborne, Wanganui, Wellington, and Nelson.  Temperatures were cooler than average in the first half of November, while the second half of the month was noticeably warmer. The national average temperature of 13.4 ºC was 0.3 °C below average. The month was one of the sunniest November’s on record in Golden Bay, Nelson, Marlborough, Taranaki, and inland areas of Canterbury. Cloudy skies prevailed in the Far North. Anticyclones (‘highs’) were more frequent than normal in the Tasman Sea and over New Zealand. 

The month’s overall weather pattern was produced by more frequent anticyclones in the Tasman Sea, often extending ridges of high pressure over New Zealand.  This resulted in more frequent dry southerly quarter winds than usual over New Zealand.

Further Highlights:

The lowest air temperature during the month was -3.4 ºC recorded at Lauder on the 6th.
A hot spell affected the north and east of both islands between 20 and 26 November, with record high November temperatures recorded in many of these regions. The highest temperature during November 2007 was 32.8 ºC recorded at Blenheim Airport on the 25th.
Isolated areas of high rainfall occurred in coastal Waikato and Ruapehu on the 4th and parts of Fiordland on the 12th.
The highest wind gust of the month was 137 km/h from the south, recorded at Mt Kau Kau (Wellington) on the 14th.
Of the five main centres, Auckland was the warmest and wettest, Christchurch the sunniest, and Dunedin the driest of the five main centres.

ends

© Scoop Media