Bone-chilling starts typical of July

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The past two mornings prove why July is Gisborne's coldest month.

Yesterday the air temperature dropped to just .4 of a degree, at around 7.30am.

The mercury crept up to 11 degrees by 11am but finally hit a high for the day of 14.8 degrees.

However, it was even colder this morning.

At 4am, the temperature gauge at the airport plunged to just .1 of a degree above zero.

Our coldest air temperature for July was set on July 13, 1953, when it was a bone-chilling minus 3.4 degrees.

Grass temperatures yesterday and this morning were below zero, with frost in many areas. — RH