"A cooler than usual June looks likely for New Zealand," said
MetService Meteorologist Georgina Griffiths. "Below average June
temperatures are expected this year - in sharp contrast to last June, which was
the warmest on record for New Zealand." While there will be weekly
variation in temperatures, swinging between average and below average, the
first and last weeks of June look particularly cold across large parts of the
country.
Over the last month, El Nino has strengthened in the tropics, reaching levels
not seen since 1997-98. The latest climate models predict a high chance
(80-90%) that El Nino will continue through the rest of 2015. "Seas in the
New Zealand region are cooling off faster than usual, which is consistent with
changes we typically see here during an El Nino winter," said Griffiths.
"Sea temperatures are important for us, because to a certain extent they
influence air temperatures in our coastal regions."
Certainly, some farmers will be looking for a break in the weather this June.
It has been a sopping wet April and May between Taranaki and Wellington, as
well as for the West Coast of the South Island. Paraparaumu experienced its
wettest May on record, following on from its wettest April ever. In just two
months, 453mm of rain has fallen there. To put that in perspective, that's
nearly the same as the amount recorded at Westport over the same time (477mm)!
But that's nothing-Milford Sound has clocked up in excess of 1,700mm this April
and May. In contrast, only 2.8mm of rain fell in Timaru in May (the fourth
driest month on record there), while Oamaru received just 8.8mm.
During the first week of June, a major Low rolls across the country,bringing
significant precipitation and strong winds to many parts of the country.
"June starts pretty wet and wild, with the risk of extreme rain or snow in
the mix. But, as the month progresses, the weather is likely to settle back to
more typical early-winter patterns," added Griffiths. Rainfall for the
remainder of the month looks closer to June normal for western regions, but
normal to below normal for the north and east of both Islands.
For further information, the latest Rural Outlook can be found at
http://www.metservice.com/rural/monthly-outlook
And as always, keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any
watches/warnings at metservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com.
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