It will come as no surprise that Tasman has had one of its wettest winters on record with almost double the normal rainfall in June and July.
Earth Sciences New Zealand is finalising its winter report, and though the figures were still provisional a couple of days before the end of August, there are some standout results.
Appleby had its second wettest day on record since they began in 1932, with 112mm of rain falling on 26 June during the region’s first winter flood. It was Motueka’s turn for the second wettest day since its records began in 1943, with 164mm falling on 11 July during the second flood.
Overall, Appleby also had its second wettest winter on record with 485mm for the three months of June, July and August, while Motueka had its third wettest winter with 722mm. Both those figures are near double their normal rainfall and most of it fell in June and July.
The research organisation doesn’t record figures further inland, but the Tasman District Council does, and for the three months of winter it recorded 625mm at Belgrove, 529mm at Motupiko and 618mm at Woodstock.
Most of that rain fell in June and July, particularly during the two flood events, and even though August has been notably dry across the region, the council data shows several locations have already reached or exceeded their 12-month average rainfall within the first eight months of the year.
Earth Sciences NZ climate scientist, Gregor Macara, describes Tasman’s winter as warm and wet – which is why there was such little snow.
While climate change is a component of this winter’s weather, he says it’s not the only facet as the region also had more northerly airflow than normal that brought warmer, wetter weather.
