Monthly climate

Climate developments in January 2004

SPCZ much further north and east than usual

Extremely high rainfall from the Marquesas Islands to Pitcairn Island

Extremely low rainfall in many tropical islands about and west of the Date Line

The Southwest Pacific in January OLR and rainfall anomaly pattern was almost opposite to that of December. The SPCZ was located much further north and east than usual, extending east from the region north of the Solomon Islands, toward the Marquesas Islands, and down to Pitcairn Island. Rainfall was well above average in the SPCZ affected region, with anomalies 400 to 500% of normal in some places, and totals of at least 300 mm in most locations.

In contrast the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) was fairly inactive. A large region of suppressed convection and well below average rainfall (50% or less of normal) affected the region from the Coral Sea southeast to Tonga, including the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji. Many stations recorded rainfall totals less than 50 mm. Another smaller region of suppressed convection and generally below average rainfall occurred over central and southern French Polynesia, with record low rainfall at Tahiti. January was the 11th consecutive month with below average rainfall in parts of Eastern Kiribati.

Air temperatures were about 0.5°C above average in New Caledonia and 0.5-0.9°C above in French Polynesia. In Fiji, daytime temperatures were above average, while overnight lows tended to be below average.

Climate extremes in January 2004