Taupō was having a dry December, until its final week. Photo / Dean Purcell
Weather in Taupō during December was a month of contrasts.
By December 23, with just eight days of the month remaining, only 28mm of rain had fallen; a record low for Taupō in December.
However, that changed dramatically when a week of unstable barometric pressures was responsible for damp and humid conditions, downpours and thunderstorms, producing 157mm of rain over eight days.
This brought the total rain for the month to 185mm, which is 61.3mm above the December average.
While downpours and thunderstorms are not unusual in Taupō for the final month of the year, a week of such weather is.
The heaviest 24-hour fall for the month was 53mm on Sunday, December 31, the last day of the year, while the coldest temperature was recorded on Friday, December 1.
Temperatures generally were close to the average for the month.
The highest daytime maximum of 27.7C was the reading on Tuesday, December 26, and the daily average maximum was 22.3C.
Night-time minimum average temperatures were 11.1C for the month, while the coldest night was Monday, December 1 at 4.2C.
Winds throughout the month were generally light to moderate, the strongest gust recorded was just 46km/h on Wednesday, December 13.
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The prisoner was there for 'medical oversight'.