No real surprises, but here's a few interesting highlights ...
Although Auckland had 21 'wet-days' and 144% of normal rainfall, sunshine still ended up about normal (averaging 4.7 hrs per day).
Of the five main centres, Auckland was the warmest, Wellington was the wettest and sunniest (an interesting combination), Christchurch the coldest, and Dunedin the driest.
The highest temperature during August 2008 was 19.9°C recorded at Haast on the 26th during a strong easterly air flow. The minimum temperature of 12.9°C at Haast on the 25th was also the highest for the country for August. Both of these temperatures were the highest August temperatures (maximum and minimum) at this location since records began in 1949.
Kaitaia Observatory also recorded its lowest August temp of 1.5°C on the 10th since records began in 1985. And New Plymouth recorded its highest August rainfall of 277mm since records began in 1944.
Wellington managed about 12% above its longterm sunshine mean despite 205mm of rain - although that only just matched the average of the last 10 Augusts.
The rainfall anomalies and also the sunshine ones showed the kind of split resulting from depressions crossing the country - the far SW and NE quadrants (Fiordland, western Southland, Gisborne and H Bay) fared best. In a more typical month the anomalies tend to show an east-west or norrth-south split, or some fairly simple combination of the two.
Good to see my readings are similar to Owairaka
*Lowest August temperature there was -0.7oC when my thermo recorded -1.2oC
*Owairaka had 585mm for Winter (I recorded 606mm)
