Taranaki’s 30-year climate report, showing trends and extreme weather patterns, has been updated by NIWA and presented to the Taranaki Regional Council.

Climate elements including the chance of cyclones, average sunshine hours, wettest month, highest wind speeds and severe connective convective storms are shown in the climate and weather report, covering the period from 1981 to 2010.

Highlights of the report include:

On average one tornado occurs every year in Taranaki, with severe cases about one in every four years.

Most tornadoes occur in August, double the frequency of any other month, and have wind speeds between 116-180 km/hr

The average number of thunderstorms in New Plymouth is 15 each year, while by comparison Te Wera Forest, in eastern Taranaki, has three each year

The highest temperature recorded is 31.3 degrees at Te Wera Forest on 5 January 1975.

The lowest temperature recorded is -7.5 degrees at Stratford dam on 2 July 2001.

Unsurprisingly North Egmont is the region’s wettest area, but surprisingly rainfall is highest in Spring, not winter, with 809 mm falling in October – 12 per cent of the yearly total.

Spring is also the region’s windiest month with mean monthly wind speeds up to 36km/hr recorded in Normandy, 31km/hr in New Plymouth and 28 km/hr at Cage Egmont. And the highest recorded wind gust on land in the last 30 years? 172 km/hour.

Council Environment Director Gary Bedford says NIWA’s latest climate report was invaluable, helping the Council plan for and manage civil defence emergency events, our natural resources and biodiversity or land management.

“Due to our location, Taranaki’s environment is unique from the rest of New Zealand. We’re heavily influenced by both the mountain and coast, which makes us one of the windiest regions in the country, and also brings moderate sunshine and rainfall levels,” Mr Bedford says.

The report was presented to the full Council on Tuesday 3 November 2015 and it is available at: NIWA

ENDS

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