Taupō weather report, January 23-29

The lake was the place to be during a hot, dry summer. Photo / Donall Foley

January 23-29 weather highlights. Photo / Supplied

Despite the fact the week leading up to the end of January was cooler than much of the month, it was still warm.

The recorded rainfall was minimal and produced enough on each of the three days - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - to simply lay the dust.

With just two days left to complete the month, at the time of this report, indications are that January could set a new record for the driest January.

A weakening low-pressure system was responsible for the change during the week but brought with it some respite from the hot days, patches of drizzle and very light showers. It was followed by a large and intensifying high-pressure system that spread northwards bringing a return to dry and settled conditions, cooler at first before the warmer temperatures returned by day.

Barometric pressures rose as the high spread over the area and reached more than 1030 hPa, unusual for the time of year. The pattern of last week's weather can be clearly seen from the accompanying data chart.

In next week's issue of the Taupō and Tūrangi Weekender, we will have a summary of the weather for January along with the data for the last two days. At this stage, there is evidence that February could bring some much-needed rainfall for the area and possibly stormy conditions for the South Island. This will depend upon the development and movement of a disturbance currently forming in the tropical waters well to the north of Aotearoa.