August was extremely wet and cloudy but warmer than average for most of the country, National Climate Summary figures show.
Statistics released today reveal rainfall was well above normal (more than 150% of normal) for all of the North Island except Hawke's Bay, as well as in Nelson and Marlborough, and parts of Canterbury and Otago.
Double normal August rainfall was observed around Kaitaia, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty, and eastern Otago and parts of the Bay of Plenty, Wanganui and Turangi recorded their wettest August on record.
In contrast, Fiordland and Southland recorded below normal rainfall (between 50% and 80% of normal). For Hawke's Bay and the West Coast, rainfall was near normal (between 80% and 120% of normal).
Frequent northerly air streams affected the North Island during the month, with more easterly winds over the South Island.
Sunshine hours down
August sunshine totals were below average (between 75% and 90% of normal) across the entire North Island, as well as for inland and eastern areas of the South Island.
Turangi, Stratford, Martinborough and Christchurch recorded well below average sunshine (between 50% and 75% of normal).
It was the cloudiest August on record for Turangi and Martinborough.
Sunshine hour totals were closer to normal in the west and south of the South Island (ranging between 90% and 110% of normal).
Temperatures above average
August 2010 mean temperatures were above average (between 0.5�C and 1.2�C above average) across all regions of New Zealand, except for eastern Otago, where temperatures were near average (within 0.5�C of average).
Small areas of well above average temperatures (more than 1.2�C above average) were observed in Northland, eastern Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Fiordland.
The New Zealand national average temperature was 9.6�C
(0.9�C above the 1971-2000 August average).
