Niwa data shows wet January has ‘robbed Kiwis of summer’

January has been exceptionally wet, says Niwa. Photo / Jo Jones

New Niwa data shows New Zealand has been “robbed of summer”, with an unusually wet and sun-starved January across much of the country.

In a post shared yesterday, Niwa said most regions have recorded less than 85% of their usual January sunshine, alongside rainfall totals well above normal.

“It’s been an exceptionally wet January across New Zealand,” Niwa said. “Auckland, Coromandel, Tauranga and the East Cape have received up to four times their normal monthly rainfall, while Canterbury and Marlborough have seen two to three times their usual totals.”

The bleak picture comes as wild weather continues to batter parts of the country, with heavy rain this week contributing to fatal landslides in the Bay of Plenty during what should be the peak of summer.

Despite the soggy start, MetService says brighter conditions are on the way.

A spokesperson for MetService told the Herald Kiwis can expect an end to the wintry conditions, with February bringing more sunshine and warmer temperatures, particularly in the North Island.

“There’s nothing strange that we are seeing at this time, but we’ll keep on monitoring.”

Highs across are expected to average 25C, but rise by early February.

“We’ll expect some 27C, 28C, even closer to 30C in some areas.”

The outlook is less settled in the South Island with just two more days of sun forecasted for the rest of the month.

“We’ll continue seeing cold fronts moving from the south, affecting mainly the lower South Island and the western parts.

“Those cold fronts will lower the temperatures. We are expecting single-digit overnight temperatures, but otherwise it’s more on the average of upper teens and lower 20s.”

It’s not all bad news. Despite the chill, cloud-free skies could still promise some brighter days in the lower parts of the country.