Midwinter arrives in Taupo¯ with a snap

Taupo¯ was in the bitterly cold grasp of midwinter over the first part of July with winter tightening its grip and producing overall temperatures more than two degrees below normal. What is regarded as the coldest and wettest month of the year more than lived up to its reputation with at times severe frosts and snowfalls nearby closing several roads into and out of Taupo¯ . There were no fewer than seven frosts in the 11 days, the heaviest of -6.8 degrees recorded on Wednesday, July 1. Frosts of -5.0 degrees or more were recorded on four days. Daytime temperatures remained low with the icy winds producing a chill factor that made temperatures seem lower that they in fact were. With a chill factor during winds of 15km/h, an air temperature of 7 degrees produces a chill factor of -1 degree, and at 20km/h that same 7 degree temperature becomes a chill factor making it feel like -4 degrees. The stronger the wind, the lower the chill factor temperature. A look at the data chart will clearly show not only the cold temperatures, but also the barometric pressure changes. Tuesday, July 7 produced a barometric pressure of just 999 hPa and this fell lower with the passage of the low pressure system. As the system moved away and the high pressure cell moved in, it brought clear skies and promoted frosty conditions. High pressure cells at this time of the year will mostly bring clear skies and frosts. This week should be quite changeable with rain followed by partially improving conditions. It should be windy at times and remain cold. A system currently developing over the southeast coast of Australia may well influence our weather much later in the week or at the weekend.