Very warm February for most of the country

File photo / NZH

Most of the country experienced very warm weather during February with Timaru hitting the highest temperature at 41.3degC on February 6 .

Hanmer Forest recorded the lowest temperature during the month at 1.1degC but generally the country basked in warm weather throughout the month, the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric research (Niwa) said today.

Many areas experienced record breaking heat in the February 2-7 period, Niwa said.

February was a very dry month for the North Island.

Central Otago recorded the month's highest rainfall, most of it falling in one day. There was above normal rainfall in the southern half of the South Island.

The sun shone most of the month in Northland and the northern South Island while it was cloudy over the southern half of the South Island. Elsewhere it was about normal.

The highest one-day rainfall of 245.2 mm occurred at Mt Cook Hermitage on February 6 while the highest wind gust of 170.5km/h was recorded at Cape Turnagain on the February 2.

Of the six main centres, Tauranga was the warmest, driest and sunniest, and Dunedin was the coolest and wettest.

- NZPA