Cooler, but less frosty days

Winter rainfall enters record charts

The first week of August, and last month of winter in Taupō proved mainly cloudy and rather cool with little rain. Temperatures were close to a degree below the normal for the last month of winter and there was not a lot of sun.

After close to record rainfalls through June and July, the first week of August was almost rain free with just 4.5mm being recorded during the week. Total rainfall through June, July and so far in August is now 450.5mm, making the winter the third wettest on record for Taupō .

A further 66mm before the end of the month would make it the second wettest, a further 164mm the wettest. Therefore, rainfall this month would need to again exceed the monthly average for this to happen.

The first day of last week saw a light frost of -2.8 degrees and an overnight low air temperature of -1 degree. The greatest number of frosts recorded in August was the 20 recorded in 1999 and the least recorded was six in 2013, while the heaviest August frost on record was one of -10.8 degrees on August 29, 2004.

There are definite signs over more recent years that frosts are becoming fewer and certainly nowhere as severe as in past years, supporting claims of changing climatic conditions.