One of driest Octobers

The middle month of spring (October) proved to be dry with less than half the expected rainfall, but with average or near to average temperatures. It was very much less windy than normal for October.

During the month rainfall amounted to just 51.5mm, some 58.75mm below the average for the month. In fact it proved to be one of the driest Octobers on record. Rain fell on only seven days and had it not been for a burst of rain over the final three days, then conditions would have been even drier. The average for October is 110.25mm on 15 days and the long dry spell of 15 consecutive days without any rain from the 13th of the month to the 26th inclusive was the longest dry spell since last year. Daytime maximum temperatures for the month averaged 16.1 degrees (1.0 deg above average) whereas the night time minimum temperatures were 5.0 degrees or 1.4 degrees below that expected. So the overall daily temperature for October was 11.1 degrees and that was a mere 0.1 degrees below the monthly average. It was an interesting month for weather in so far as the heaviest frost of the year was recorded on the 19th when the mercury dropped to minus 7.0 degrees while the overnight air temperature fell to minus 3.1 degrees. There were just three days when the wind exceeded 50km/h, peak gusts at the Taupo¯ Airport reading 57km/h on the 12th, 54km/h (17th) and 56km/ h (18th). I expect the first part of November to be unsettled and windy with westerly to southwesterly conditions, but mild and with brief rainy periods from rapidly moving westerly frontal systems.