Gisborne’s 2024 rainfall 100mm more than 30-year average

It has been a wetter year in Gisborne and the average temperature has been up on the 30-year average for the past two months. Photo / Paul Rickard

Weather data shows the Gisborne district is having a wetter year than usual, but a normal amount of sunshine.

Despite the rain, temperatures have been above average for the past two months.

To the end of July, the year’s rainfall total was 737.6mm or almost 100mm more than the 30-year average in that period for 1991 to 2020.

This comes after last year’s record rainfall of 2054mm, which is more than double an average year’s rain of 1000mm.

The year to date has still had its share of the sun, with 1273 hours to the end of July, or about 35 hours ahead of the 30-year average for those seven months.

July had 138.5mm of rain - just 10mm more than the 30-year average.

The mean daily maximum temperature was 14.8C, and the mean daily minimum was 5.9C - both 0.4C warmer than average.

Sunshine for July was 129.5 hours - almost exactly on average.

The direction of the weather was almost evenly split, with 16 days from the warmer northerly quarter and 14 from the south.

Nevertheless, there were some cold days. The lowest maximum temperature of the year fell on the fourth, with the mercury reaching a “high” of 10.6C.

The coldest morning was on July 6, with an air temperature of 0.7C and a frost of -3.8C.

There were 10 mornings over the month when the ground temperature was below zero.

For those keen on a dip, the water temperature off the beach has dropped to 13.4C - about half a degree cooler than usual for the time of year.

Looking ahead, longer-term outlooks have been issued by MetService and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

MetService says it should be warmer than usual for August, with near-normal rainfall.

Niwa’s three-month outlook agrees, with warmer-than average temperatures, and normal or above normal rainfall for the period to the end of October.