‘Dawn paraders’ shiver as mercury drops to 5

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

Anzac Day provided the chilliest morning of the year so far, with “dawn paraders” turning out in frosty temperatures.

MetService recordings at the airport put the air temperature down to 5 degrees yesterday morning.

However, for the first time this year, the grass minimum temperature plunged to zero.

The first zero or below-zero grass temperatures are often felt in April, with the previous three years all hitting below-zero in April — air temperatures dropping to around the 5-degree mark on those mornings. — RH