Historic: October 1961

[RWood]

October 1961: Barometers were unusually high over the country, and it was an exceptionally warm and dry month. Auckland and Southland moisture levels held favourably, elsewhere farming was looking for good rains by the end of the month.

Rainfall: Less than half average except in Westland, Southland, coastal Otago and the greater part of Auckland province. It was less than 25% of average in eastern districts from Canterbury to southern Hawkes Bay, and also about Cook Strait and Manawatu. Driest areas were southern Wairarapa, Marlborough near Cape Campbell, parts of inland North Canterbury and Christchurch with northern Banks Peninsula, where totals varied from about 12m down to nil. The first 3 of these areas had their driest ever October.

Parts of Westland and a few areas in Northland, Auckland and Waikato recorded rainfall above normal. In a small area about and south of Auckland torrential downpours were recorded on the 28th, including 175mm at Pukekohe in seven and a half hours.

Temperatures: Above normal over the whole country, average departure about
2.0C. In eastern and inland districts from Wairarapa to north and central Otago and in the central North Island departures were 2.2C-3.3C, many of them having the warmest October in about 50 years. The second half of the month was particularly warm, with temperatures typical of December rather than October.
On the 22nd, the relative humidity at noon at Jordan in the Awatere valley was only 6%.

[October 1961 is the warmest one in the NZ temperature series, with a departure of about 1.7C over the current 30-year normal. For many, October’s warm dry weather was very welcome after the coldness of August and September. This was the first month of a run of warmer than average months that lasted until February 1963].

Sunshine: Eastern areas from Gisborne to north Canterbury and areas around Cook Strait were 40-80 hours above average. For Gisborne, Blenheim and Hanmer it was the sunniest October on record. Lesser surpluses occurred elsewhere in the North Island (except eastern Northland) and in Nelson and central Canterbury. The West Coast and the Alps had 10-40 hours less than average.

[Blenheim’s 288 was beaten by 300 in 1969 (NZ record), Gisborne’s 260 easily by 285 in 1972].


Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations) - additional comments by the poster.

[ATO2]

Thanks, RWood. That was a warm October!

[TokWW]

Very interesting as alwasy, thanks RWood.

[rainfan]

For Sydney - average rain & sun. Mean max of 23.3oC 11th highest on record (equal with 1890) & mean min of 14.9oC 2nd warmest, however October 1988 smashed those records. Sunshine total of 248 hrs highest of year. November 61 - very different story with 517mm - wettest on record, still stands to this day & very cloudy (almost 100 hrs less).