June
May's climate
Global setting and climate outlook
Feature article
Exceptional conditions in May
Autumn rainfall (above) and days of soil moisture deficit (below) at Napier Airport. The black smoothed curves are added to aid interpretation of trends in the data.
Grazing the water hole. Many east coast small dams were unusually dry in the May drought. (Photo: Richard Hilson)
Temperature and rainfall
New Zealand was warmer in May than for the same month at any time in the 140–year instrumental record.
A monthly newsletter from the National Climate Centre.
June 2007 – Number 96
May – unusually warm, with low rainfall in the north and east; flooding in Nelson and Taranaki.
New Zealand climate in May
Rainfall (click to enlarge).
Temperature (click to enlarge).
More frequent northwesterlies than usual were recorded over much of New Zealand in May. It was the warmest May in over 140 years of measurement, with a national average temperature of 1.7 °C above normal. Rainfall was well below normal in the north and east of the country, and well above normal in Nelson.
Global setting and climate outlook
La Niña likely to develop
Difference from average global SST (click to enlarge).
Monthly SOI values (click to enlarge).
Conditions are currently neutral in the tropical Pacific, but there is a relatively high (55%) probability of a transition to La Niña conditions over the winter period.
