Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! Batten down the hatches.
After what feels like months of rain, the clouds emptied their loads this morning and then sun came out for the rest of the day. And, rumour has it, we will experience some good drying weather for the rest of this week 🙂 Clean bed linen all round!
But, I have just had a peek at the weather forecast (which most of the time is utterly wrong) and it mentions the word frost!!!!!!!!! Auckland very rarely gets frost, especially here on the North Shore. The daytime temperatures have slipped down to between 14 and 17 degrees but it looks like the lovely, clear sunny days will leave us with very chilly, clear nights. Tonight’s low should be 3 degrees – crikey, and all this without radiators. I feel so sorry for all those people without a heatpump, insulation and an HRV because they will probably be putting on damp clothes in the morning – yes, apparently it gets so cold in these unheated sheds they call houses that the clothes never really dry properly. That is why one in four kids has asthma I gather. I am jolly pleased we got ourselves sorted before the winter set in.
Anyway, I found an interesting spot of info on Auckland’s weather which I thought I’d share below 🙂
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Auckland, located in the north of New Zealand’s North Island, enjoys a temperate climate.
This means warm summers and cool damp winters. Rainfall is moderate, with the wettest season being winter (Jun, Jul, Aug) and the driest season bring summer (Dec, Jan, Feb). Moderate sunshine hours are experienced (around 2100 hours per year). Due to Auckland being located on an isthmus (a narrow piece of land with sea on either side) the weather is highly variable across the region. The Tasman Sea lies to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Variable topography also adds to the climate variability.
Temperature
Daytime temperatures in summer usually range from 20-28°C, sometimes higher, although 30°C or higher is unusual in most parts of the region. The record high was set in Henderson (west Auckland) in 1998, and is 33.1°C. Night time temperatures in summer average around 15-16°C, although humid lows of up to 19-22°C can occur. In winter, unsettled weather prevails. Daytime highs average about 14°C. A daytime high under 10°C is fairly uncommon. On clear winter nights, some areas of the region experience frosts, but never severe frosts. Other parts are almost frost-free. The lowest air temperature recorded was -2.5°C at Owairaka.
Rainfall
The average annual rainfall is about 1200mm, but varies between 1000-1500mm across the region, and up to 2000mm in the highest parts of the Waitakere Ranges in the west. Dry spells are to be expected in summer, but drought conditions are unusual. Heavy rainfall is common, although it is often localised and does not last long.
However there are times when torrential rain can be sustained over small areas, usually the cause of this is sea breezes converging over the isthmus. The Auckland region holds the 1 hour record in NZ for rainfall accumulation – 107mm in 1 hour at Whenuapai (west Auckland) on 16 Feb 1966, which was broken at Leigh (north Auckland) on 30 May 2001, when 109mm was recorded in 1 hour.
Thunder and severe weather
Severe weather events are not common; a deep depression may bring rain and high winds a couple of times per year but usually there is little damage. Occasionally ex-cyclones affect the country which often do cause some damage. Snow is extremely rare – the only recorded widespread fall to sea level was in July 1939. Thunder is heard on about 15 days per year. Most of the thunderstorms tend to occur in the west during unsettled conditions moving in from the Tasman Sea. Severe thunderstorms are not common. Auckland is considered one of the hotspots for tornadoes in New Zealand although these are often weak isolated incidents. Any hail which occurs is usually very small, although on the rare occasion there are isolated incidents of large hail.
Effects of the SOI
The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) often affects the weather patterns. An El Nino pattern often results in drier weather, more SW winds, and average to below average temperatures. A La Nina pattern usually results in wetter conditions, more NE winds, and average to above average temperatures.
Auckland, located in the north of New Zealand’s North Island, enjoys a temperate climate.
This means warm summers and cool damp winters. Rainfall is moderate, with the wettest season being winter (Jun, Jul, Aug) and the driest season bring summer (Dec, Jan, Feb). Moderate sunshine hours are experienced (around 2100 hours per year). Due to Auckland being located on an isthmus (a narrow piece of land with sea on either side) the weather is highly variable across the region. The Tasman Sea lies to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Variable topography also adds to the climate variability.
Temperature
Daytime temperatures in summer usually range from 20-28°C, sometimes higher, although 30°C or higher is unusual in most parts of the region. The record high was set in Henderson (west Auckland) in 1998, and is 33.1°C. Night time temperatures in summer average around 15-16°C, although humid lows of up to 19-22°C can occur. In winter, unsettled weather prevails. Daytime highs average about 14°C. A daytime high under 10°C is fairly uncommon. On clear winter nights, some areas of the region experience frosts, but never severe frosts. Other parts are almost frost-free. The lowest air temperature recorded was -2.5°C at Owairaka.
Rainfall
The average annual rainfall is about 1200mm, but varies between 1000-1500mm across the region, and up to 2000mm in the highest parts of the Waitakere Ranges in the west. Dry spells are to be expected in summer, but drought conditions are unusual. Heavy rainfall is common, although it is often localised and does not last long.
However there are times when torrential rain can be sustained over small areas, usually the cause of this is sea breezes converging over the isthmus. The Auckland region holds the 1 hour record in NZ for rainfall accumulation – 107mm in 1 hour at Whenuapai (west Auckland) on 16 Feb 1966, which was broken at Leigh (north Auckland) on 30 May 2001, when 109mm was recorded in 1 hour.
Thunder and severe weather
Severe weather events are not common; a deep depression may bring rain and high winds a couple of times per year but usually there is little damage. Occasionally ex-cyclones affect the country which often do cause some damage. Snow is extremely rare – the only recorded widespread fall to sea level was in July 1939. Thunder is heard on about 15 days per year. Most of the thunderstorms tend to occur in the west during unsettled conditions moving in from the Tasman Sea. Severe thunderstorms are not common. Auckland is considered one of the hotspots for tornadoes in New Zealand although these are often weak isolated incidents. Any hail which occurs is usually very small, although on the rare occasion there are isolated incidents of large hail.
Effects of the SOI
The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) often affects the weather patterns. An El Nino pattern often results in drier weather, more SW winds, and average to below average temperatures. A La Nina pattern usually results in wetter conditions, more NE winds, and average to above average temperatures.
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This post is really aimed at those of you who may be thinking about moving from the UK to NZ and you’re looking for helpful tidbits of information to smooth the way.
