✨ Weather Report
31 JANUARY THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 387
THE WEATHER IN NEW ZEALAND IN NOVEMBER 1985
General—November was a cloudy month with an absence of strong winds.
South-westerlies prevailed over the whole country this month, with a much greater frequency than usual over the South Island. North-easterlies were more frequent than usual over the North Island since 1976, and their least frequency over the southern part of the South Island for almost 30 years.
Mean sea level pressures were above average throughout New Zealand, especially south of Christchurch where they were over 4 hectopascals above average.
Two small tornadoes were sighted at Bowen Town (Bay of Plenty) on the 25th, and these caused some damage at a caravan park.
Most farmers reported good pasture growth, with silage being made and hay ready to harvest in the North Island. Apart from flystrike in some sheep on the east coast regions of the North Island stock condition was good.
Rainfall—Rainfall was above average in most coastal places, especially in Nelson, on the Canterbury Coast, and in South Westland where it was over 150 percent of normal. Rainfall was also up to 150 percent of normal in Central Otago. The greatest departures from normal this month were on the Kaikoura Coast and at Cape Campbell, being 244 and 362 percent of normal respectively. Cape Campbell’s rainfall (163 mm) was the highest November rainfall since 1895, and the second highest for November since records began in 1873. Some heavy rainfalls occurred at both Franz Josef and Haast during the 72 hours from 9 a.m. on the 17th to 9 a.m. on the 19th. These were 474 and 370 mm respectively. Most inland areas of the South Island recorded between 75 to 85 percent of normal rainfall.
Temperatures—Mean daily temperatures were near average throughout New Zealand, apart from Westland and Fiordland where they were 1 to 2°C above normal. Many east coast places recorded maximum afternoon temperatures between 25 and 30°C from the 15th to the 17th.
Sunshine—The first 2 weeks of November were generally sunny, but for the remainder of the month it was rather cloudy over most of the country. Sunshine hours were near or slightly above average for November north of New Plymouth, and also in Fiordland and Southland. Elsewhere, it was below average. At Nelson Airport and Kaikoura November’s sunshine was only 76 and 78 percent of normal respectively.
Some of the greatest departures this month were:
| Station | Start of record | Departure from normal | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Airport | 1930 | -54 hours | second lowest on record |
| Kaikoura | 1960 | -46 hours |
J. S. HICKMAN, Director.
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VUW Te Waharoa —
NZ Gazette 1986, No 13
NZLII —
NZ Gazette 1986, No 13
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Climatological Table for November 1985
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🎓 Education, Culture & ScienceClimatology, Weather, Statistics, November 1985
- J. S. Hickman, Director