16 JUNE
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
2533

THE WEATHER IN NEW ZEALAND IN APRIL 1986

General—April was a dry sunny month, with above average temperatures in most places.

Many clear nights in east coast regions from Gisborne to South Canterbury were an advantage for people who wished to view Halley’s Comet.

South-westerlies prevailed over the North Island with their usual frequency and it was less windy than usual. Over the South Island north-westerlies were predominant and had their highest frequency since records began in 1956. It was windier over the South Island with the frequency of strong winds being the highest for April for over 10 years.

A dominant feature in this month’s weather was an anticyclone which remained almost stationary to the east of New Zealand from the 19th to the 28th. Mean sea level pressures ranged from near normal in Southland to over 4hPa above normal in Northland.

Many farmers in Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay reported dry conditions with little grass growth for winter feed. Most stock were reported to be in very good condition.

Rainfall—Rainfall was above average on the West Coast of the South Island, in Fiordland and in Southland. At Invercargill April’s rainfall was 160 percent of normal. Throughout the remainder of the country rainfall was well below average, especially in east coast regions of both islands, and in most places to the north of Hamilton. Record low monthly rainfalls for April were recorded at the following places:

Station Amount (mm) Start of record
Whangarei Airport 25 1937
Warkworth 20 1972
East Cape 11 1916
Napier Airport 4 1950
Waingawa 17 1926

Other places with very low rainfall were: Gisborne Airport 13 mm, Christchurch Airport 15 mm, and Timaru Airport 19 mm.

Temperatures—In the North Island the mean daily maximum temperature was about 1°C above average. On the east coast from Gisborne to Southern Wairarapa the mean daily maximum temperature was 2 to 3°C above average. Mean daily minimum temperatures were near average to 1°C below average in most regions, except for Wellington and the Wairarapa where they were about 1°C above average.

In the South Island the mean daily maximum temperature was near or 1°C below average on the West Coast and in Fiordland, and up to 3.5°C above average on the east coast in Canterbury and North Otago. Mean daily minimum temperatures were generally about 1°C above average, except for Invercargill where the mean daily minimum was 8.0°C (2.4°C above normal), the highest for April there since records began in 1949. Some record mean daily maximum temperatures for April are listed below:

Station Mean Daily maximum (°C) Departure from normal Start of record
Napier Airport 21.9 +2.7 1974
Mount John 16.3 +3.4 1918
Christchurch Airport 20.2 +3.0 1954
Hororata 19.6 +2.9 1962
Timaru Airport 19.3 +3.5 1968
Oamaru Airport 19.9 +2.7 1929
Alexandra 19.4 +2.5 1951
Roxburgh 18.6 +2.2 1963
Dunedin Airport 16.9 +1.9 1949
Invercargill Airport

Many places on the east coast of both islands experienced warm afternoon temperatures (between 25 and 28°C) in northwesterly conditions from the 24th to the 28th.

Sunshine—Hours of bright sunshine were near or slightly below normal in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki and on the West Coast of the South Island.

On the east coast of both Islands from Gisborne to North Otago, including Marlborough and Wellington it was particularly sunny, with total sunshine for the month ranging from 120 to 150 percent of normal. Some of the greatest departures from normal this month were:

Station Amount of Sunshine (hours) Departure from Normal Start of record Rank
Gisborne Airport 209 +47 1938 third highest on record
Waingawa 218 +73 1935 highest on record
Paraparaumu Airport 201 +53 1953 third highest on record
Kelburn (Wellington) 227 +68 1960 second highest on record
Kaikoura 214 +64 1949 highest on record
Christchurch Airport

J. S. HICKMAN, Director.

CORRIGENDUM

THE WEATHER IN NEW ZEALAND IN MARCH 1986

In the notice with the above heading published in the New Zealand Gazette, 19 May 1986, No. 74, page 2169, under the section Temperatures delete the information stated and insert the following:
“Over most of the North Island mean temperatures were between 0.5°C below to near normal for March. Over the South Island temperatures were about 1°C below average in Marlborough and 1°C above average in Central Otago. Elsewhere mean daily temperatures were near normal.”