Far North shares a record summer
Fifty-four temperature records were set around the country, a number of them in the Far North, according to Niwa’s summary of the season’s climatic highlights.
They included record mean air temperatures for Cape Reinga (20 degrees Celsius) and Kerikeri (20.4 degrees) since records began in 1951 and 1945 respectively, up 1.3 and 1.5 degrees on average.
Kaitaia and Kaikohe recorded their second-highest means (20.8 and 19.6 degrees respectively), up 1.7 and 1.3 degrees on average, and Whangarei its fourthhighest (20.8 degrees), up 1.4 degrees on average.
Whangarei also recorded its fourth-highest mean maximum air temperature (25.6 degrees), up 1.6 degrees on average, while Cape Reinga and Kerikeri set new marks with mean minimum air temperatures of 17.3 and 16 degrees respectively, up 1.7 and 2.1 degrees on their averages). Kaitaia recorded its secondhighest mean minimum, 17 degrees (up 2.1 degrees on average), and Kaikohe its thirdhighest, 15.8 degrees (up 1.8).
Kaitaia recorded a summer record minimum air temperature of 22.2 degrees on February 20, Cape Reinga, Kerikeri and Whangarei their second-highest (20.9, 22.2 and 22.1), and Kaikohe its third highest (20.7 degrees on February 11).
Kaitaia recorded its equal third-highest mean minimum temperature for February, 17.8 degrees, up 2.1 on average, and Kerikeri its fourth-highest, 17 degrees, up 2.3 on average, while Cape Reinga recorded its second-lowest February maximum air temperature, 18.2 degrees.
Kaitaia and Kerikeri set new February minimum air temperatures, both with 22.2 degrees on February 20.
February was windy too, Kaikohe recording a record gust of 154km/h and Kaitaia its secondstrongest, 100km/h.