Mostly sunny and dry weather despite twister

May was sunnier and drier than usual in Tauranga. Bay of Plenty Times photographer George Novak snapped this photo on May 24, a cool and relatively dry day.

May was relatively sunny and dry in Tauranga despite the tornado that ripped though Mount Maunganui, Niwa figures show.

Tauranga was the sunniest of the six main centres with 177 sunshine hours throughout the month " about 7 per cent higher than usual.

Accordingly, rainfall was also slightly lower than normal with 95mm during the month " 85 per cent of the average. The mean temperature was about average at 13C which was only 0.3C colder than normal. On May 8, Te Puke recorded its highest daily minimum temperature since records began 42 years ago with a low of 17.2C.

Niwa's May climate summary notes the tornado which ripped through Mount Maunganui damaging homes and buildings, pulling down fences and sending trampolines in the air on May 14.

About 20 homes had roofs lifted and 11 had significant damage. Part of the roof and grandstand of Baypark Stadium was severely damaged.

The next day a Cessna plane flipped on the runway at Tauranga airport due to high winds and strong winds battered Tauranga Girls' College damaging shade sails, table umbrellas and scattering outdoor furniture. Despite the wild weather Tauranga did not register a record or near-record wind gust during the month. The institute's seasonal outlook for June to August is much the same with average or below average rainfall and soil moisture levels predicted and near average or above average temperatures in the Bay of Plenty.

Niwa has also confirmed an El Nino event is now under way in the tropical Pacific. International guidance indicates there is a 90 per cent chance El Nino conditions will continue over the three months from June to August. The likelihood of El Nino persisting or strengthening heading into spring was above 80 per cent. In spite of predictions of less rain during the winter months the Metservice had recorded 27.4mm of rain in the first four days of the month as at 4.30pm yesterday.