Taupō weather: September coasting on averages

September saw plenty of wind and rain, with clear days like this one few and far between. Photo / Marian Robertson

Taupō's weather for September 2023 was wetter than usual, with close to average temperatures for the first month of spring, as well as the reappearance of the usual spring winds.

While winter this year in Taupō was very dry, with each month recording below-average rainfall, September recorded a total of 141.5 millimetres of rain on 17 wet days.

That’s 31.5mm above the September average.

The month produced temperatures right on the average for the first spring month, with the daily maximum registering 15.5C, a mere 0.1C below the expected average.

Similarly, the minimum temperature recorded for September 2023 was 5.3C, again just 0.1C below average.

The warmest daytime temperature of 22.4C occurred on Wednesday, September 20 and the coldest overnight minimum of -1.0C was recorded on Saturday, September 16.

Frosts were unusually rare, with only four being recorded during the month,

The heaviest frost, of -3.0C, was registered on the coldest overnight date, Saturday, September 16.

As is the norm for spring, the month was very windy.

The peak wind gust of 56km/h blew on Friday, September 29, and during the month, nine days registered gusts of 40km/h or more.

The weather pattern over Taupō during September changed, with a noted increase in the frequency of frontal systems crossing the area from the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea producing showers, generally cool temperatures and consistent westerly to southwesterly winds.

In between these systems, areas of high pressure produced warmer, dry and sunny periods, typical of an El Nino weather pattern.

This is expected to intensify during October, with increasing temperatures and longer, very dry periods expected towards and during the summer months ahead.

Stay up to date with the Waikato Herald

Get the latest Waikato headlines straight to your inbox Monday to Saturday. Register for free today - click here and choose Local News.