Hot off the press — or to be precise, Jim Salinger’s laptop: June 2014 was the warmest June in New Zealand since 1870, 2ºC above the 1971-2000 average, as measured by the long term “seven stations series” originally devised by Salinger and maintained by NIWA. On the larger 24 station series the month tied with 2003 at 2.1ºC above the 1971-2000 average. Many stations recorded warmest ever Junes, including Dunedin with 8.7ºC, +1.7°C above average, Invercargill with 7.8ºC (+2.2°C), Kaitaia (14.5, +1.7), Tauranga Aero (13.1, +2.4), Masterton Aero (9.8, +2.3), and Hokitika Aero (+10.4, +2.4). Jim points out that NZ warming is most clearly seen in the winter months (and expressed in the snow and ice record) but often escapes notice because a warm winter month is still “cool” compared with the seasons around it.
[Update 3/7: The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reports that the 12 months ending in June were the warmest July/June since records began (The Age. Jim Salinger tells me that in New Zealand July 13 to June 14 was the 3rd warmest in the long term record.]
I remember a warm winter about 2000? Looks like we can expect a cold (next) winter?
Take a ruler and draw a line touching the coldest winter month. Then draw a line touching the highest.
So according to records kept by a local in Whitianga, this was the wettest June by some margin since the 1980ties. In June more rain fell here than in all the previous month this year combined.
I still remember 2013’s winter, it was one of the warmest and shortest winters I ever felt, looks like we are going to have another warm winter this year. But 2011’s wintry blast was late as well, snow still hadn’t fallen on ski field on both north and south island by the end of june, and snow only started falling in the early july and even reached wellington, palmerston north and it was one of the snowiest winter season in New zealand.
But, but… how can this be? Bryan Leyland assures us that we are on the brink of an ice age.
well many factors, there’s more warm wind blowing from north down to new zealand bringing sub tropical wind, that’s why the weather has been mild this winter and wintry blast from south just is predicted to set in this week and next.