Monthly

April 2009: A month of contrasts. Wet in the north and west, dry in the south and east.

March 2009: Extremely dry, very sunny, and cool for much of the country as anticyclones prevail
Rainfall: Record low rainfall in parts of Wairarapa, Marlborough, north Canterbury, north and central Otago.

February 2009: Hot at the beginning of the month then a cool change; wet for most of country except in the southwest; below normal sunshine for most areas
Temperature: Above average over most of the North Island; below average for much of Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
Rainfall: Above normal over the North Island and east of the South Island; below normal for Fiordland and parts of Southland.
Sunshine: Well below normal for eastern Northland and Auckland, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago; normal or below normal elsewhere.
Temperatures flip-flopped from above average over the first 12 days

January 2009: Very warm in the east; dry and sunny for most of country except in the south; soil moisture levels generally below normal
Temperature: Well above average along the east coast of the South Island from Kaikoura to Mosgiel; above average for western Bay of Plenty, eastern North Island, inland Canterbury and Otago and much of Southland.
Rainfall: Well below normal in Northland, Auckland, central North Island, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Tasman, Marlborough, north and south Canterbury and central Otago; below normal for much of the rest of the country except Gisborne, Manawatu, nor

December 2008: Sunny for most areas, warm through the middle of the country, dry in the east but wet in some areas exposed to the northeast
Rainfall: Well below normal in East Cape, Gisborne, southern Hawke’s Bay, north Canterbury and eastern Southland; above normal in southern Northland, Nelson, Marlborough, Banks Peninsula and inland Canterbury and Otago.
Temperature: Above average from Bay of Plenty to Wellington, northern Tasman district, and around Westport and Cheviot; below average for the far north of the North Island and in inland Canterbury.
Sunshine: Above average for most of

November 2008: Sunny for most of country, warm and dry in the east
Rainfall: Well below normal in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago, and below normal in many other places, except in Northland, Taranaki, Tasman, West Coast and coastal Southland.
Temperature: Near or above average for most of the country (particularly eastern South Island), but below average in the western South Island.
Sunshine: Very sunny in the North Island from Waikato south, and in all of the South Island except the Tasman district and the West Coast.
Rainfall was less than 50% of normal (