Kāpiti — the hot place to be

The warmest place in Central New Zealand last month was very familiar.

February in Kāpiti was slightly warmer and sunnier than average, but also wetter than usual, local weather commentator Murray Eggers said.

“And surprisingly, also the warmest place in Central New Zealand.

“The daily average maximum temperature was 23.9 degrees Celsius, half a degree above average and almost a degree above February 2021.

“However, being 0.7 of a degree cooler than January it was the second warmest month of summer.

“Our mean temperature was 19.5 degrees, over a degree warmer than last year.

“Our warmest day was

Tuesday February 8, climbing to 30 degrees.

“On only two days did we not reach 20 degrees, and on 13 days reached 25 degrees compared with only nine last year.

“The cooler February was general to Central New Zealand, but was particularly evident in eastern areas that were more affected by the numerous southerly fronts than Kāpiti.

“This resulted in [this area] being the warmest place in Central New Zealand.

“Which is rare at this time of year, with our afternoon sea breezes mostly tending to prevent the extreme temperatures of eastern areas such as Masterton and Blenheim.

“With 21.5 sunny days it was also the second sunniest February in 10 years, 2.5 days more than average.

“Despite all the sunshine there were 220mm of rain recorded at the airport, and considerably more further north.

“This was unusually high for February, when even 100mm is considered a lot.

“However, rain at the end of the first week and during the second was welcome following a six week drought.

“Dry conditions were again being experienced by the end of the month, continuing into March.

“We can expect March to be a slightly cooler version of February, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the low twenties.”