Reclaiming the sunshine crown
Blenheim is on track to regain its sunshine crown, moving ahead of perennial rivals Whakatane and Nelson after a bright September.
The last time it was proclaimed the sunniest town in New Zealand was 2008.
Since then, Whakatane and Nelson have shared the title, with the Bay of Plenty town recording the most sunshine hours for the last three years in a row.
But this year, with only three months to go, Blenheim is leading the race.
The latest figures, from the Blenheim Meteorological Station, show Blenheim has enjoyed 1957 sunshine hours so far this year, with 225.3 hours in September alone.
In second place is Whakatane on 1924 hours followed by Tekapo on 1850 hours and Nelson on 1804 hours.
Blenheim Plant and Food scientist Rob Agnew said it was too early to predict a winner.
‘‘We could still be beaten. There’s only 30 yards in it and it’s entirely possible for them to pass our region in the last three months.’’
Scientifically, there was little value in recording sunshine hours but for tourism and regional rivalry purposes it was important, he said.
Traditionally, Nelson and Blenheim used to trade the title back and forth, leading to a strong rivalry between the two regions.
In comparison, Whakatane was a relative newcomer.
Since new automated sunshine recorders were installed in 2010, the Bay of Plenty town had received the most hours every year, except 2011.
Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman took a lighthearted approach to the rivalry in 2014.
Blenheim placed third in the sunshine stakes that year and Sowman cast doubt on the legitimacy of other towns’ readings.
‘‘Whether they had new apparatus, I don’t know. We even suggested the Nelson Mayor had put measuring equipment on the roof of his car and was driving around following the sun.’’
Blenheim is poised to take back the title of New Zealand’s sunniest town.
SUNNY BUT COLD
Despite the high sunshine hours, Blenheim still had its coldest September since 1997.
The mean temperature of 9.7 degrees Celsius was 1.4C below the long-term average for September, which was calculated from the past 29 years of data.
The cold also brought about frosty conditions.
There were six ground frosts this September and two air frosts, compared with only two ground frosts and no air frosts last year.
There was also a slight increase in rainfall, with 54.4 millimetres recorded.
The long-term average for September rainfall was 51 millimetres.
The September climate was influenced by El Nino, which typically brought about warmer, drier conditions, although Agnew said this was not always the case.
Niwa climate scientists said it was extremely likely El Nino would persist into summer though.
‘‘There is a higher prevalence of westerly winds during El Nino,’’ Agnew said.
‘‘However, if they are from the southwest they tend to be cooler.’’