Current Climate - November 2013

November 2013 was characterised by mean sea level pressure anomalies that were strongly positive over the South Island, with such anomalies extending well east, west and south of New Zealand.

However, across northern New Zealand pressure anomalies were below normal. These regional pressure patterns resulted in frequent easterly flows across New Zealand.

Rainfall

Rainfall was below normal (50-79 percent of November normal) or well below normal (less than 50 percent of November normal) across much of the South Island. It was especially dry in the southeast of the South Island, where record or near-record low rainfall totals were observed. Rainfall was also well below normal in parts of Canterbury and Westland. In the North Island, well above normal rainfall (more than 150 percent of November normal) was observed in southeastern parts, with above normal rainfall (120-149 percent of November normal) observed across parts of the Central Plateau, Bay of Plenty and Waikato. In contrast, well below normal rainfall was recorded on the Kapiti Coast and coastal parts of northern Taranaki. Rainfall totals were near normal (within 20 percent of November normal) for the remainder of the North Island. As at 1 December 2013, soils were much drier than normal in Northland, Auckland, and Waikato, but much wetter than normal along the southeast of the North Island. Elsewhere, soils were typically wetter than normal for remaining parts of the North Island, and drier than normal across most of the South Island.

Temperature

Temperatures were above average (0.5-1.2°C above November average) or well above average (more than 1.2°C above November average) throughout most of New Zealand. The exceptions were limited eastern parts of Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, Gisborne, and northern parts of Northland, where near average temperatures (within 0.5°C of November average) were recorded. It was a particularly warm month about Fiordland, the Southern Lakes, Westland, Manawatu, Taranaki, the Central Plateau, Tauranga, Auckland and southwest Northland where temperatures were well above average, and a number of record or near-record high temperatures occurred in these parts. The nation-wide average temperature in November 2013 was 15.1°C, (1.4°C above the 1971-2000 November average from NIWA's seven-station temperature series which begins in 1909).

Sunshine

Well above normal sunshine totals (more than 125% of November normal) were recorded in South Otago, the central South Island from the east to the west coasts, northern Taranaki and Gisborne. In contrast, below normal sunshine (75-90 percent of normal November sunshine) was recorded across most northern parts of the North and South Islands, including Nelson, Marlborough, Auckland and Northland. Sunshine was largely near normal elsewhere (within 10 percent of normal November sunshine).