NZ Weather for Dec 2005

[nzmaninsydney]

Its good to see that NZ has been very warm at the moment, what a
big difference from December 2004, which was a very cold and wet month nationally. I bet you are all glad to have some decent summer weather.

Have been looking at stuff.co.nz weather-have noticed that Invercargill seems to be much warmer than normal over the past week, the same applies to Auckland, have also noticed that its been cooler than normal in Wellington and Christchurch.

Can any-one tell me more about the 1982/1983 summer? I was only 7 at the time, but dont remember this summer. Have heard that it was a dreadful summer season. Funnily enough, in eastern Australia, the drought of 1982/1983 was the worst in a century.

It looks like to me whenever there is a El-Nino weather pattern-Eastern Australia goes into drought with many clear days, whereas its the opposite for NZ, especially for the West and South of the South Island.

Does anyone know how Cliflo works (for NIWA), have read the application form over and over, yet am having trouble understanding how the payment system works, can any-one help me out with this please?

[RWood]

Try contacting Stuart Burgess or perhaps Kevin McGill re CliFlo.

Summer 1982-83 was very windy, and cooler in most places. Wet in west and south of S Island plus Central Otago, but dry in most other parts. Temps almost average in some eastern places. Very cloudy in west and south of S Island. Hopeless in many places for beach activities. However I would rate quite a number of summer seasons as worse, esp. in the more distant past when things were generally much colder. In relatively "recent" decades the summers (eg) of 1951-2, 1952-3, 1957-8, 1975-6 and 1992-3 were poor, especially 1952-3 (that one cold and wet except in Westland Fiordland and Central Otago/Southland). If yout consider only temperatures there were many cold seasons in 30s and 40s.

[Michael]

Yes I remember it...October 1982 had a good southerly event can remember..Nov was predominantly NW and fine and mild most places apart from the westcoast with Rain and December 82 was very cold similar to 04 and January/Feb 83 was a lot of westerly winds with sudden S changes in the east with hail but hot with the westerlies and showers in the west.It started to settle down in March with a humid April.
Australia had lots of heat troughs and the highs moved north in the tasman one after another with front between each one.

[tich]

Its good to see that NZ has been very warm at the moment, what a
big difference from December 2004, which was a very cold and wet month nationally. I bet you are all glad to have some decent summer weather.

Have been looking at stuff.co.nz weather-have noticed that Invercargill seems to be much warmer than normal over the past week, the same applies to Auckland, have also noticed that its been cooler than normal in Wellington and Christchurch.

A cloudy onshore flow has kept the days cool (though humid) in Chch lately, but this same weather pattern has kept temperatures from dropping much at night, so averages are probably close to or maybe milder than normal.

Can any-one tell me more about the 1982/1983 summer? I was only 7 at the time, but dont remember this summer. Have heard that it was a dreadful summer season. Funnily enough, in eastern Australia, the drought of 1982/1983 was the worst in a century.

I was only 15 then, but I remember frequent cold southwesterly and southerly changes in December, though it wouldn't have been as cold as Dec 04. Strong west or southwesterlies plagued January and early February 1983. These died down about mid Feb, but temperatures didn't quite rise to normal levels.

[nzmaninsydney]

I was living in Ranui, in Auckland's Western Suburbs at this time, I was 13 years old. I can remember when it rained rentlessly during the 1st 3 weeks of January 1989. Can remember when the back river overflowed its banks and kept the gardens under water for 2 weeks. It was very warm and humid as well. Being stuck in the house during the holidays certainly drove us kids insane!!

Can remember February 1990 being very hot, sunny day after day and very dry with hardly any rains falling.

Remembering the Auckland drought from 1993 to 1995, when the dams ran nearly empty and rainfall did not reach the averages for 2 years. (Can remember the winter of 1994 being very dry, sunny and warm-I wore shorts and a t-shirt most of the time ).

I will never forget the August 1992 snowfalls in Christchurch. This was the 1st time I had ever seen snow in my life (I was 16 at the time). I thought this was a very beautiful time to see all the city under a white layer of snow-Breathtaking for me. (Felt sorry for the farmers and thier animals though).

I would like to hear other people's thoughts on this episode.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

The 1992 snowfall had been eventfull for me as I got stuck on the Scargill Bank in snowdrifts, mind you I thought the train was overloaded which didn't help the poor DF loco struggle to a standstill
I was about 12 hours before they could rescue me or send a relief driver.
Thank goodness the DF has a warm heater

JohnGaul
NZTS

[RWood]

Re 1982/3 again - everyone concentrates on the indifferent summer, but there was a lot of poor weather in Apr-Oct 1983, especially in the South Island, for which it was the cloudiest year on record overall (all areas except N Canty well down), and also very wet in the western and southern parts of SI (also Central Otago). My January '83 holiday in Central featured the poorest summer weather I'd seen there - a few hot days in Ch'ch on the return trip improved things a bit.

[tich]

Re 1982/3 again - everyone concentrates on the indifferent summer, but there was a lot of poor weather in Apr-Oct 1983, especially in the South Island

The summer of 82/83 maybe memorable for unpleasant weather in NZ, but the following summer 83/84 was as cold, if not colder, albeit not nearly as windy. The period of cold southerlies of mid January 1984 was particularly wintry in the east of both islands, with rain, hail, and snow on the mountains. (reported as low as 700m on the Kaikouras at one stage) At the time of the coldest weather, I was tramping in Fiordland, which, in contrast, was sunny and mild, sheltered from the southerlies. The previous January in Fiordland would've had little fine weather.

While December 2004 was even colder and wetter than the summers I've just mentioned, summer 04/05 ended up being not so bleak overall, as February turned out to be much warmer than normal.

[Michael]

In the spring of 1983 we had a lot of Bee Bop weather ie sunny cold windy weather.The winter had quite a lot of southerlies I remembered.

[Michael]

I was living in Ranui, in Auckland's Western Suburbs at this time, I was 13 years old. I can remember when it rained rentlessly during the 1st 3 weeks of January 1989. Can remember when the back river overflowed its banks and kept the gardens under water for 2 weeks. It was very warm and humid as well. Being stuck in the house during the holidays certainly drove us kids insane!!

We had lots of NE at that time and lows kept sitting off just west of Cape Reianga

Can remember February 1990 being very hot, sunny day after day and very dry with hardly any rains falling.

Yes remember that too,Xmas1989-90 was unsettled until the Commonwealt Games and was nice after that till about April then it was a bleak wet winter.

Remembering the Auckland drought from 1993 to 1995, when the dams ran nearly empty and rainfall did not reach the averages for 2 years. (Can remember the winter of 1994 being very dry, sunny and warm-I wore shorts and a t-shirt most of the time ).
It was dry and sunny Autumn 1994 till about mid June then the heavens opened esp September.
I will never forget the August 1992 snowfalls in Christchurch. This was the 1st time I had ever seen snow in my life (I was 16 at the time). I thought this was a very beautiful time to see all the city under a white layer of snow-Breathtaking for me. (Felt sorry for the farmers and thier animals though).Yes it was 10c with Rain here on that morning in Auckland(27th)

I would like to hear other people's thoughts on this episode.