Summer sun in short supply for parts of NZ

AUCKLAND: There have been nearly 200 hours of sunshine in the country’s sunniest urban centre so far this year, compared with a dismal 98 hours in the gloomiest.

MetService data shows New Plymouth had recorded 198 hours of sunshine by January 19.

Invercargill has had the bleakest start to 2021, with 50% less sunshine than New Plymouth.

The city had had just 98 sunshine hours to January 19.

Napier comes in as a close second sunniest city, with 193 hours of sunshine, according to Niwa.

That compares with the second gloomiest city, Christchurch, on 120 hours.

Data also revealed Hokitika has been the wettest place in the country in 2021.

The town had 196mm of rain by January 19, compared with Nelson and Napier, which were tied for the driest place, with 13mm of rain. Dunedin was the second wettest city, with 116mm.

It has been a bleak summer so far in Christchurch.

‘‘People would have felt these long stretches of belowaverage temperatures over the Christmas period,’’ a MetService meteorologist said.

The South has been battered by thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong gales this week.

It is a similar story in Wellington, where gusts reached 124kmh yesterday.

MetService forecaster Sonja Farmer said the wind could get stronger before settling down again.