New Zealand had its eighth-warmest July ever. NIWA’s records show that temperatures were higher than usual, averaging 9°C, which is 0.9°C above the July average since records started. Much of the country had less rain, but some areas in the South Island saw more.
Climate scientist Gregor Macara noted that in July, Auckland was the warmest city, Christchurch was the driest and coolest, Hamilton saw the most rain, Tauranga had the most sun, and Dunedin was the least sunny. He explained that a large high-pressure system caused this nice weather and heavy frosts in some inland areas.
On July 10, Ranfurly recorded New Zealand’s highest mean sea level pressure ever, at 1046.5 hPa. This high pressure led to clear skies, which brought cold nights, frost, fog, and black ice. These conditions caused some car accidents due to icy roads, especially in the South Island.
The highest temperature in July was 21.5°C at Waipara West on July 27, while the lowest was -8.9°C at Mt Cook Airport on July 14. Macara mentioned that August started off cooler than average, and there is no snow expected in the next two weeks.
