General August Weather

Archive of NZ Weather & Climate
Forum rules
These topics are a read-only archive and may be subject to out-of-date information.

For today's weather discussion head to: New Zealand Weather & Climate
User avatar
Tornado Tim
Moderator
Posts: 4920
Joined: Sun 19/10/2008 17:17
Location: Raglan, Waikato / Hillcrest, Hamilton
Has thanked: 102 times
Been thanked: 202 times
Contact:

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Tornado Tim »

Boy not often you have an evening in August that its 15°C outside and with a 14°C DP.
NZAPStrike.net - NZ Aus Pacific Strike Network
User avatar
David
Posts: 7578
Joined: Sat 18/08/2007 21:02
Location: Howick, Auckland
Has thanked: 416 times
Been thanked: 825 times
Contact:

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by David »

Yes I'm quite liking this mild weather! Another low of 13C last night.
Image
Orion
Posts: 3994
Joined: Sun 08/08/2010 16:49
Location: Ashburton, Mid-Canterbury, 110m asl.
Has thanked: 1367 times
Been thanked: 329 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Orion »

Had some light rain last night; ground-fog for a while this morning but sunny, and chilly: 2.4 degrees now.
User avatar
Richard
Posts: 8369
Joined: Tue 14/07/2009 07:32
Location: Medbury, Inland North Canterbury
Has thanked: 1656 times
Been thanked: 800 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Richard »

A W-NW wind has sprung here along with lots green mist clouds :mrgreen: just on 16.1C
Orion
Posts: 3994
Joined: Sun 08/08/2010 16:49
Location: Ashburton, Mid-Canterbury, 110m asl.
Has thanked: 1367 times
Been thanked: 329 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Orion »

A great 'fleet' of lenticular clouds to my west early this afternoon.
Did anyone else think there was a yellowish cast to the sky over the foothills today? smoke? haze?
Currently 11.4 degrees.
User avatar
Richard
Posts: 8369
Joined: Tue 14/07/2009 07:32
Location: Medbury, Inland North Canterbury
Has thanked: 1656 times
Been thanked: 800 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Richard »

Orion wrote:A great 'fleet' of lenticular clouds to my west early this afternoon.
Did anyone else think there was a yellowish cast to the sky over the foothills today? smoke? haze?
Currently 11.4 degrees.
Didn't notice a yellow look to the sky but man there was heaps of green pollen here when the NW came through.
Skywatcher
Posts: 1249
Joined: Fri 21/02/2003 13:11
Location: Templeton, Christchurch
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 49 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Skywatcher »

For my weather station, August was 0.9°C colder than its average. The average max was actually 0.7°C higher than normal but the min was 1.9°C colder. There were 16 days with air temps below freezing and 5 more days with ground frosts. Max recorded was 22.3°C on the 24th which is a new record for August and minimum was -2.8°C on the 1st.

86mm of precipitation was recorded with almost all of it falling between the 15th and 18th as snow, hail or rain.
Manukau heads obs
Posts: 12305
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 16:30
Location: West Coast Road, Manukau Peninsula, North Island
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Manukau heads obs »

ending up around 0.5C colder than normal here too
rainfall way down on average too, but not a record dry August (only 55mm or so here)
was good to dry out though after a wet autumn and early winter
the last warm rain has really made the grass bolt around here, which is good :)
http://www.weather-display.com/windy/gb ... taout.html
Last edited by Manukau heads obs on Thu 01/09/2011 09:35, edited 1 time in total.
Image
Brian Hamilton, weather enthusiast. My weather dataEmail: [email protected]
User avatar
Tornado Tim
Moderator
Posts: 4920
Joined: Sun 19/10/2008 17:17
Location: Raglan, Waikato / Hillcrest, Hamilton
Has thanked: 102 times
Been thanked: 202 times
Contact:

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Tornado Tim »

Yes cooler and dryer this August than the other years my station has been up
Average Temperature this Year: 8.8 C compare that to: 2010: 10.7 and 2009: 11.3.

MTD Rainfall 2011: 44.2mm, 2010: 176mm, 2009: 130mm

However I am on par with YTD Rainfall so far which is 888.8mm
NZAPStrike.net - NZ Aus Pacific Strike Network
User avatar
Nev
Moderator
Posts: 6216
Joined: Tue 07/03/2006 15:24
Location: Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf
Has thanked: 468 times
Been thanked: 1064 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Nev »

Here's Niwa's preliminary, 'August 2011 Climate Summary'.

'Snow & sunshine - very dry in north & west'


National average temp was 0.5C below normal.
Highest temp was 22.1C recorded at Whangarei and Cheviot on the 30th.
Lowest temp was -10.1C recorded at Lake Rotoiti (Nelson Lakes) on the 16th.

Numerous August low daily max-temp records fell on the 15th or 16th, along with quite a few daily min-temp records. Ruakura (Hamilton) and Te Kuiti, along with Nelson and Motueka, recorded their lowest ever long-term August rainfalls. Long-term August sunshine records were also broken around Nelson and Lake Tekapo.
RWood
Posts: 3745
Joined: Sat 24/01/2004 16:56
Location: Wellington
Has thanked: 188 times
Been thanked: 123 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by RWood »

Somewhat more emphasis could be given to the widespread dryness, also the high sunshine readings. Nelson and Blenheim both surpassed the highest sunshine total previously recorded in August in NZ, and Nelson's 247 hours represents a tad over 80% of the recordable amount there. Readings of 80% or more of the possible are extremely rare in New Zealand, and several months of the year have never seen this happen at all - if stations like Queenstown with more restricted horizons are excluded, this has not yet happened in January, April, May, September, October, November or December. This August was the first time for that month.
RWood
Posts: 3745
Joined: Sat 24/01/2004 16:56
Location: Wellington
Has thanked: 188 times
Been thanked: 123 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by RWood »

NIWA's winter summary is out:

http://www.niwa.co.nz/node/102637

The Alexandra claim of a driest winter is only correct for its current site(s), going back to 1983. In earlier years it had some considerably drier winters, with only 15mm in winter 1964 (a year with a "hydroelectric" drought in the South Island, and NZ's lowest ever 12-month rainfall total of 167mm at Alexandra, November 1963-October 1964).
User avatar
Nev
Moderator
Posts: 6216
Joined: Tue 07/03/2006 15:24
Location: Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf
Has thanked: 468 times
Been thanked: 1064 times

Re: General August Weather

Unread post by Nev »

^ Their Akld sunshine totals are also incorrect; it should be 423.9 hrs, or 111% of the normal 381.4 hrs. So above normal, rather than the 'near normal' claimed. Hamilton's 393.2 hrs should also 110% above normal.
Locked