Monthly

Friday, 1 November 2002
The coldest October since 1982, with below average temperatures almost everywhere
Extremely sunny with below average rainfall in many regions
Wet in the east north of Gisborne and in the far south
October received more than the usual number of cold snaps, keeping temperatures well below normal in many areas. Ground frosts occurred with twice their normal frequency in inland parts of Bay of Plenty and Canterbury.

Tuesday, 1 October 2002
Record strong westerlies for September
In many eastern areas: sunny and unusually warm with below average rainfall
In the west: high rainfall, cloudy, wet and unsettled
Very strong west to north westerlies during September resulted in dry, sunny, windy, and unusually warm conditions, with 75 percent (three quarters) or less of normal rainfall, in many eastern areas of both islands. In contrast, wet, cloudy and unsettled conditions occurred on the West Coast, including coastal Southland, Southern Lakes and alpine areas, as well as Taranaki and King Country.

Sunday 1 September 2002
Average or below average rainfall in many regions
Wet in the southwest of the South Island
Mild overall in most regions
Sunny in the south and east of the North Island and northwest of the South Island
Much drier conditions than normal occurred in the northeast of the South Island in August for the second consecutive month accompanied by unsettled and wetter than normal conditions in the southwest of the South Island.

Thursday 1 August 2002
Well below average rainfall over much of the South Island
Average or above average rainfall over the North Island
Rather mild in the North Island and northern South Island
Rather sunny in the far south
Above average to average rainfall in the North Island was accompanied by very dry conditions in much of the South Island in July. The driest regions in the South Island were Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury and Central Otago, with totals less than 25 percent (quarter) of average.

Monday 1 July 2002
One of the warmest Junes on record despite a period of freezing wintry conditions and record low temperatures in the South Island
Wet in many regions, especially parts of Coromandel and the West Coast
Below average rainfall in Gisborne
Sunny in parts of the east, very cloudy in northern and western regions
Floods and heavy snowfall
In spite of the weather extremes of heavy snowfall and severe frost in the South Island and torrential rain in both islands, the month of June was about as warm as it gets at that time of year on the basis of historical records going back to th

Monday 3 June 2002
Exceptionally mild for much of the time, but wintry conditions toward the end of the month, especially in the south
Very dry in the east
Above average rainfall in the far north and south
Very sunny in Gisborne and Wellington
May was a month of autumnal contrasts across much New Zealand. Overall temperatures were well above average during the first three weeks, even summer-like on a few days. The month’s major weather events were associated with a deep depression that tracked across the South Island on the 23rd and then became slow moving to the east.

Wednesday, 1 May 2002
Drier in western regions, above average rainfall in parts of Bay of Plenty and the eastern South Island
Warm and sunny in the west of the South Island, average or below average temperatures and sunshine elsewhere
April brought large contrasts between western and eastern areas of New Zealand. Below average rainfall with above normal temperatures and abundant sunshine occurred in the west, particularly on the South Island West Coast. Above average rainfall and below average sunshine featured in the east of the South Island.

Monday, 1 April 2002
Very dry in many eastern regions
Sunny almost everywhere
Near average temperatures for most regions
In contrast to summer, low rainfall, especially in eastern regions, along with sunny conditions almost everywhere, were the main features of the climate during March.
It was very dry in the east from Gisborne to Otago, including Bay of Plenty, Taupo and Nelson, where many sites recorded 50 percent (half) or less of their normal March rainfall. Gisborne Airport’s March rainfall was only 12 mm, the 3rd equal lowest there for March in more than 95 years.

Friday, 1 March 2002
Wet in the lower half of the North Island and North Canterbury
Dry in the northern half of the North Island and parts of the South Island West Coast
Warm and sunny on the West Coast of the South Island
Cool and cloudy in the east
A contrasting mixture of weather conditions featured in the North and South Islands during February. Many districts on the lower half of the North Island, Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay received about twice their normal rainfall. Rainfall was also above average in north Canterbury and coastal Southland.

Friday, 1 February 2002
Many thunderstorms and high-rainfall / flood-producing events
Extremely wet in Canterbury and the east, low rainfall in southern New Zealand
Warm on the West Coast, cool in Central Otago
Sunny in Taranaki and the west and south of the South Island
Low sunshine in Canterbury and coastal Otago
Thunderstorms with lightning, frequently accompanied by torrential rain that resulted in localised flooding, were a feature of the January climate.

Wednesday 2 January 2002
In the North Island very wet with warm nights
Record low sunshine hours in many regions
Dry in Canterbury
New rainfall records were set in many areas during a warm but unsettled December. Many northern and eastern North Island areas received at least twice their average December rainfall, with some locations establishing new records. Records were set at Kerikeri, Motu, Mahia, Turangi, Whakatu near Hastings, Masterton and Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes district.

Saturday 1 December 2001
Wet in many regions, especially central New Zealand
Warm in some northern and western areas
Cool in the eastern South Island, especially inland
Cloudy in Bay Of Plenty, Wellington and some eastern areas
Variability was a feature of November climate and weather. It was an unsettled month in many central New Zealand areas. Marlborough went from drought to deluge, with rainfall at least double normal. Wellington and parts of Buller also had twice the average November rainfall. It was also wetter than usual in many other regions.

Thursday 1 November 2001
One of the warmest octobers on record
Below average rainfall in the southwest of the South Island
Well above average rainfall in Nelson, Marlborough and several North Island regions
Rather cloudy in Canterbury and the south and west of the North Island
New Zealand had the 3rd warmest October on record since reliable measurements began in the 1850s, half the normal rainfall in the Southern Lakes, and double the usual rainfall in areas of the North Island, Nelson, and Blenheim.