Windless October, Taupo¯ becalmed

October 2020 in Taupo¯ was on the whole windless, drier than normal, cloudy for most of the time with temperatures near normal for the time of year.

During the month not one day received 50km/h of wind, compared to October last year, when 12 days exceeded winds of 50km/h, with a peak gust of 80km/h. October is normally renowned for frequent windy days. In mid-October 1975 the wind was so strong from the south-east that it whipped up severe dust storms from the developing Richmond Heights subdivision and the thenPrincipal of Waipa¯hı¯hı¯ School was forced to close the school because of the dust danger to students and the internal damage caused by the dust. October this year followed a September that was also quite windless. There was not a great deal of sun during October this year and although rainfall was yet again below average, 13 wet days each produced minimal rainfall and the total fell short of the average expected yet again, meaning now that nine of the 10 months in 2020 have produced rainfall below the average. The wettest day was Wednesday October 21 with a 24-hour fall of 21.5mm while the monthly total was 77.5mm. October temperatures were mild, with the hottest day being Monday October 5, when the mercury topped 25.5 degrees. The coldest day was October 17 when the mercury fell to minus 1.2 degrees and the frost reading was minus 3.5 degrees. There were only two frosts during the month.