Whanganui’s overnight temperature drops to near-record March low

Cloud is expected to return to Whanganui later in the week. Photo / Bevan Conley

The temperature in Whanganui city dropped to 4C early on Wednesday morning - the joint-second coldest March temperature on record.

MetService meteorologist Juliane Bergdolt said that was due to a high-pressure system currently sitting over the country.

“That’s why we are seeing clear skies and light winds. With clear skies, you get a good amount of cooling overnight and cold early mornings.”

Sunshine is expected to stay until Friday afternoon, with daytime highs remaining between 20C and 22C. However, the temperature could drop to 5C overnight on Wednesday and 8C overnight on Thursday.

Bergdolt said clouds would begin to move in on Friday, with rain developing in the evening.

“There will also be showers on Saturday but they will clear by the afternoon and you’ll start to see the sun again.

“Winds will also change from southerly to westerly and that will bring a slightly warmer air mass from the Tasman [Sea] rather than from the southern seas.”

There would be a bit of cloud around on Sunday but it would remain dry, she said. Daytime highs of 22C, 21C and 22C are expected for Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, with overnight lows of 11C.

Fellow meteorologist John Law said the average maximum Whanganui temperature for March was 21.1C and the average minimum was 12.8C. He said the coldest March temperature on record was 2.5C on March 28, 1985, with the next being 4C.

That was equalled on Tuesday morning. Records go back to 1978.

“At the moment, it’s great during the day - nice clear skies and sunshine - but as soon as that sun sets, the heat just dissipates,” Law said.

“In Whanganui, you get fog rolling through the river valley. It’s that classic autumnal look.”

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.