Wild, wet and warm April makes it into the record books

April was wetter and warmer than average, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said yesterday.

The country had its warmest April in 25 years, coupled with above-average rainfall that led to flooding in Otago and the Coromandel region.

Niwa said north and east Otago, which was last week left saturated from heavy rain, recorded three to four times its average April rainfall .

The north of the North Island and many parts of the South Island also received significantly more rainfall than usual.

The national average temperature of 14.6C was 1.2C higher than average and the eighth-highest recorded since the 1860s.

Napier had the record high temperature for the month, with 29C on April 3, while Middlemarch, in Otago, was at the other end of the scale, with -2C on April 14.

Leamington in Waikato and the Kapiti Coast were hit by tornado-like winds that damaged property, and the southwest cape of Stewart Island had the highest-recorded gust - 128km/h on April 23.

Of the main centres, Christchurch was the driest and sunniest, while Auckland was the wettest.

There was above-average rainfall in Dunedin, Hamilton and Christchurch, and near-average rainfall in Wellington.

Hokitika had the highest rainfall (540mm), with Takaka and Reefton also over 300mm, while Ngawi on Wairarapa's south coast had one of the lowest falls in recent years, with 28mm.

Many areas were deluged with rain at some stage during the month, most notably Otago, where more than 120mm fell in 24 hours over April 25 and 26 in Dunedin and Oamaru .

The Coromandel/Hauraki area was flooded last week and parts of Auckland and Northland were flooded earlier in the month.

The Remarkables in West Otago had 40cm of snow on April 25 and 26, while 20cm fell on Coronet Peak and Cardrona skifields.

- NZPA