Dry summer

February, and the three months of summer, were drier than average in Kaitaia. The Northland Age recorded 68.8mm of rain on 10 days in Kaitaia last month, compared with the average of 91.8mm on 10 days. The total for the first two months of the year was 112.9mm on 18 days, while the same two months last year delivered 181mm on 16 days. The 92-year average is 176.9mm on 18 days. The three months of summer produced 171.6mm on 26 days, slightly down from the 208mm that fell on 22 days last summer, and well down on the average of 266.5mm on 30 days. The summer extremes were in 1986 (602.5mm) and 1931 (79mm).