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Wild and stormy July - Niwa

Low pressures were anchored south of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands during July, producing an extremely windy and stormy month overall.

Mean sea level pressures over the southern half of the South Island were unusually low for the month as a whole, and the monthly "westerly wind" index for Christchurch southwards was the second-strongest for July, since records began in 1941.

The month of July started out unusually warm in eastern areas of both islands, but a polar blast during 24-26 July delivered a bitterly cold air mass over the country - so that mean temperatures for July were near average, overall, for many regions of the country. Extremely cold air affected Canterbury, the Kaikoura coast, Nelson, Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay and Taranaki during 25-26 July, and snowfall was heavy and to low levels over Canterbury, the Kaikoura Ranges (both Inland and Seaward), the Richmond Ranges, Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges, the Central Plateau, and around Mt Egmont. Brief dustings of snow were also reported in the ranges of Motueka and Northland on the 25th. The average temperature in July 2011 was 8.0�C (0.1�C above the 1971-2000 June average) using NIWA's seven-station temperature series which begins in 1909.

The frequent westerly winds during July resulted in a very wet month for western areas of both islands. July rainfall totals were well above normal (exceeding 150 percent of July normal) across the south and west of the South Island, as well as for Wanganui to Waiouru, reflecting the stormy, southwesterly nature of the month. It was the wettest July on record around Invercargill, with more than 200 percent (double normal) July rainfall there. Two localised areas which were also very wet were the Firth of Thames, and Tolaga Bay. In sharp contrast, the entire eastern South Island was extremely dry (with less than 50 percent of July normal rainfall). Below normal rainfall (between 50 and 79 percent of July normal) was also experienced around Wellington, the Bay of Plenty, and eastern parts of Northland. Elsewhere, July rainfall was close to normal.

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